Conquering Adversities
by kwillads
Summary: A Continuation or sequel to 'Three for the Price of Two'.  I recommend you read 'Three for the Price of Two' first.  Accidents seem to follow John.  Daedalus drops in early. A trap and Skiing?
1. Not His Usual Morning

**Disclaimer:** Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis, the characters and universe are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions and the Sci-Fi Channel. The content of this story is solely for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N** - This story is a continuation or sequel to 'Three for the Price of Two'. I recommend reading 'Three for the Price of Two' first in order to gain character understanding. This takes place about a year after Colonel Sheppard had an accident.

2-6-2008 Previous spelling errors corrected. Content of story unchanged. Any remaining mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Chapter One – Not His Usual Morning

It had been most of a year now that Colonel John Sheppard had been in a wheelchair after his accident on P4X-497; and six months since he was promoted to full Colonel. He could honestly say his life in the Pegasus Galaxy had changed a lot. Dealing with his paralysis had been a roller coaster ride, raw emotions and frustrations running wild. In general, John had always liked roller coasters. The bigger and faster, the better, but he hadn't liked this one. Although he had adjusted for the most part.

It wasn't until the Daedalus landed a year ago and Dr. Carl Epson came into his life that he had gotten his act together. Carl had given him a reason to continue, to fight for what he wanted. Carl showed him he didn't have to give up the things he loved to do, just because he was in a wheelchair now. And he was right. The Swiss task master worked him relentlessly.

Carl showed him he could still run with Ronon. He remembered that first day and how skeptical he was. Here he was in his wheelchair rolling down the halls of Atlantis and Carl a step or two behind him, seeing Carl's expression after he rounded that corner that morning sun piercing through the hollowed halls and displaying its magic on the walls for all to enjoy. Carl showed him he could continue his Katas lessons with Teyla, she is an excellent teacher and still, stroke for stroke; he couldn't knock a stick from her skillful hands. Being able to surf the sweet breakers off the mainland was a joy of a lifetime. Best of all, he maintained his command over Atlantis.

The Daedalus and Col. Caldwell were due any day now. Supplies were low and they were in need of medical supplies badly. Rogue Genii soldiers, leftovers from Kolya's reign, had tried to take Atlantis. Without Kolya's tactical cunning, the rogue Genii failed in taking Atlantis. However, two of his Marines died in that skirmish and there were three more wounded. In addition medical supplies were exchanged for the other hostages.

The Asurans tried again, but having three ZPM's now allowed the Atlantis shield to hold until John fired enough drones to destroy their satellite beam. Col. Ellis, commander of the Apollo, was dispatched to the Asuran home world with another Mark IX tactical nuclear bomb. Dr. Weir tried to negotiate with Oberoth, however, he had already made up his mind and the Apollo continued with its orders. Dr. Weir reminded Oberoth that in each of their encounters, Atlantis prevailed.

It had been a rough few months.

John had settled into his routine quite nicely. Taking care of himself was on the top of his list. So far, no more UTI's and to his recollection, this had been the longest he had ever stayed out of the infirmary. As long as he was healthy, he could keep everyone safe and sound. Carl made sure of that and put him through his paces, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, running, stick fighting, stretching his leg muscles, eating right and resting when it called for it.

John no longer had the dreaded, mandatory rest breaks imposed on him by Dr. Beckett. There were days, if he was honest with himself, that he really missed those rest breaks. John was in the best health he had ever been. Beckett no longer harped about his weight since he gained fifteen pounds, mostly muscle and credited his health to Carl.

Carl had become a member of his family, right along with Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Elizabeth, Carson, Radek and Evan. He started joining them for movie nights, poker games, and trips to the mainland to surf, rest, and relaxed when time would permit. He was definitely becoming accustomed to the Pegasus Galaxy and Atlantis. John finally got his new life on track and under control. Now that John was more independent, and less reliant on Carl, Carl had more free time so he helped out in the infirmary. He helped the Marines stay fit and did all their rehab.

John was no longer a stranger to his office or to paperwork. Elizabeth was most happy about that; she was getting her mission reports on time. Requisitions were being signed and even turned in on time. He took over mission planning and debriefing allowing Elizabeth more time to deal with the scientists, SGC, IOA and the everyday operation of keeping Atlantis afloat. He kept up with drills for his Marines, old and new arrivals were treated all the same. Planned war games kept them all on their toes and that was paying off. Mock invasions, hostage taking, and emergency evacuation drills helped his Marines to have quicker response times. The results of their hard work had been proven when the Genii recently tried to take Atlantis.

Usually when the Daedalus came he felt solicitous or uneasy but this time he couldn't wait for the ship to arrive. He had requested several of his Officers and some Enlisted personnel to be promoted prior to their normal schedule. They had showed him outstanding courage, strength and unyielding leadership in ways he could not and would not disregard. They put it all on the line for him and for Atlantis. This was the least he could do, he thought.

OoO

"_Atlantis, this… Col. Ca…well, requesting immediate landing and...assistance_." The seasoned officer spoke with anxiety. _"Atlantis, do……read?"_

The Daedalus was early. No one expected the ship for another day or so. There were no set schedules for the Daedalus. Sometimes she would have to stay on Earth and help with the fight against the Ori. Other times, she stayed longer on Atlantis helping out when necessary. The SGC, in their data-burst would inform Atlantis of its pending arrival, but no specific time or date.

"Daedalus, we read you. Your transmission is breaking up; the east pier is clear for landing. Repeat… what assistance do you require?" Asked Chuck calmly, looking over his shoulder at Dr. Weir's office, raising his hand to get her attention and motioning her to come.

Elizabeth had been working on reports all morning, nothing exciting, just the normal day-to-day stuff. When she caught the technician's gesture, she came into the control room, "what is it Chuck?"

"Daedalus is requesting immediate landing and assistance. I've cleared them to land on the east pier and asked what assistance, but they have not responded yet." Chuck explained. "Their transmissions are shoddy at best."

"Okay, notify Colonel Sheppard and try to contact the Daedalus again." Weir instructed.

"Yes ma'am."

The Daedalus was coming in hard and fast. Atlantis was coming into view a lot faster than the seasoned commander wanted. You could see with the naked eye a trail of smoke following as the ship crossed the sky and plummeted closer to Atlantis.

"Elizabeth, I'm heading to the east pier now. Any word from the Daedalus of what assistance they need?" John asked as he rolled himself down the long hallway leading to the landing pier. He left his half un-eaten breakfast sitting on the table in the mess hall.

"None yet John, we're still trying to…" She broke off her thought when Chuck received a response from the Daedalus commander. Elizabeth kept Colonel Sheppard tied into the comm so he could hear what was being said from control as well as any communications coming from the Daedalus.

"_Atlantis, need evacuation ……med…… assistance…do you…opy?"_ Caldwell replied. The communications array had been going in and out on them.

"Yes Steven, we read you. Evacuation and medical assistance on the way." Elizabeth replied.

"John, did you copy that?"

John was still about ten minutes from the east pier. He reached up and tapped his comm, "yes Elizabeth, I got that. I'm almost there. I'll contact Lorne and he can round up the troops. You contact Beckett."

Without saying another word, Elizabeth contacted Dr. Carson Beckett and advised him of the emergency. Well at least what little she knew of the emergency anyway.

John contacted Major Evan Lorne and had him round up the personnel and had them double time it to the east pier. Just as he got through the east pier door way his gaze was drawn to the sky above Atlantis where he saw the Daedalus coming in fast, trailing smoke. "Lorne, we need fire rescue teams; looks like the Daedalus is on fire and coming in hot."

John reported what he saw to Dr. Beckett and Dr. Weir. At least now the good doctor would know what type of emergency medical supplies he needed his staff to gather; saline and gauze for burns, oxygen tanks for smoke inhalation and of course bandages for any cuts.

John wasn't sure if the Daedalus was going to crash or land or crash land. At the rate of speed he witnessed, his bet was on crash. He hoped he was wrong. Even a water landing would be difficult to rescue survivors. He kept his fingers crossed, watching intently as the ship got closer and closer, praying for their safety under his breath. The Daedalus was diving at a steep angle but at the last minute it pulled its nose up and landed hard; very hard on the east pier.

The big ship pounded the pier. The vibrations carried through and into the halls in waves towards the inhabited part of the city just like a stone tossed in a pond. Atlantis groaned under the stress of the hard landing. John reached his mind out to Atlantis and offered his apology and thanked her for being so strong.

Major Lorne arrived at the east pier with fifteen teams, each team having four men. He had sent two other teams to the infirmary to help Dr. Beckett transport gurneys and supplies, and another team to gather all the stretchers from the jumpers. The three fire rescue teams had already dropped hoses into the waters that surround Atlantis and began pumping, spraying water on the visible flames and smoke of the ship.

From John's advantage point on the east pier, he could see a hole in the side of the big ship. It looked like a Wraith blast, but he put that thought out of his mind. If the Daedalus was attacked in their solar system by Wraith he would have been told. Long range sensors sweep the solar system every few minutes and it would have picked up on any enemy vessels. Whatever struck the ship appeared to have damaged the communications array. Half of it was missing. He surmised from the way the Daedalus landed that several other critical or navigational systems that were housed in that area were damaged by whatever had struck it.

The cargo bay ramp was lowering on the big ship. John wheeled himself closer, needing to know how many were injured, what he could do to help, and what had happened. Beckett and his crew arrived as did the team that was sent to grab stretchers from the jumpers. The Atlantis personnel stood ready and waiting for their next orders.

"Captain, where do you need my men?" John asked, knowing the Captain knew this ship and crew better than he.

Crew members followed the Captain down the ramp and out of the smoking ship. Lorne had Sgt. Moore, Tonniges and Jones's team aid those coming down the ramp and handed them over to Dr. Beckett and the medical staff, while they waited for instructions from Colonel Sheppard.

The young Captain was coughing, but managed a reply. "Decks three and four starboard side took the most damage, Sir. We have several personnel down in adjacent areas. The fire is under control for the most part, though we are still having a lot of smoke."

"Okay." Turning to face Lorne, "Major, send three teams to cover decks one through three aft and make sure everyone uses respirators. Send three more teams to cover aft decks four through six. Remove anyone they find. If someone is trapped, let me know on channel two and I'll send in the rescue team with a corpsman. We'll do assessments out here." Colonel Sheppard stated clearly.

"Captain, what about other areas of the ship? Command? Do you know how many are injured?" Colonel Sheppard inquired.

"Don't know Sir. Communications was only working half the time, but now it's off-line completely." Replied the coughing Captain. "I've tried to reach the command deck but no luck, Sir. All I get is static. I'm not sure if they can hear us or not."

John weighed his options. With communications not working he didn't know where help was really needed. "Lorne, take six teams to the center access port. Have each team cover one deck of the forward section in front of the blast, one team per deck. See if you can make your way through to Command. Help anyone you can find and get them out here so Beckett and his staff can look after them."

"Yes Sir." Major Lorne quickly turned and motioned for six teams to follow him to the center access port of the ship.

"Col. Caldwell, this is Sheppard, do you read me?" The comm crackled in his ear, but no reply. On the off chance that they were receiving and not able to reply, John advised them what he was doing from out here. He advised he had teams on decks three and four starboard side and had sent six teams to the center access port to help with rescue and evacuation, and that the fire rescue teams had put out the fire on the starboard side after they landed.

More crew members started to arrive, some were walking, and others were on stretchers. A new batch of Marines and some replacement personnel made their way down the central access port ladder aided by the Atlantis Marines. John had the remaining six teams divide in half. Three teams to the center access port and three to the cargo bay ramp. Once the wounded crew members and passengers were down, the teams stationed on the pier took over, allowing those with the respirators to go back in and search.

Drs. Beckett, Biro and Epson, along with every available nurse and medic corpsman treated the wounded with precision and accuracy; their triage looked like an assembly line. John could hear Beckett barking out orders to the other Doctors and nurses who were following his instructions to the letter. Beckett quickly assessed each person and then pointed to either Dr. Biro, Dr. Epson or one of the nurses or corpsman to handle their needs.

Glancing at the triage area it appeared that the crew members and passengers, so far, were suffering from the smoke. John could see a few with white bandages on their hands thinking they must be burned or cut. A couple of the crew members had white bandages on their heads, those he remembered seeing come out on a stretcher.

John received a call from Sgt. Buckland who was leading a team on deck four. They needed the rescue team and corpsman. One of the Daedalus crew was trapped under a fallen piece of metal that was once part of the bulkhead. John sent the team in with hydraulic lifts and a portable oxygen tank and mask. He hoped the hydraulic lifts would be enough to free the trapped crewman. He didn't want to use the welding torch to cut away the metal unless it was a last resort.

"_Major Lorne to Colonel Sheppard."_ John startled as his comm sounded. John's focus was on watching the evacuation from the cargo ramp and the center access port.

Reaching up, he tapped his comm. "Sheppard here, Major what's your status?"

"_Sir, I'm on the bridge with Col. Caldwell, he would like to speak to you. Just one minute Sir_." Lorne advised before he took off his comm and handed it to Col. Caldwell.

"_Colonel, thanks for your assistance. We received your message, but were unable to respond. Our communications system was damaged. How is the evacuation going?"_ Caldwell asked.

"Evacuation is going smoothly. So far only one crew member has been reported as being trapped on deck four. I sent a rescue team and corpsman in about fifteen minutes ago. Dr. Beckett is taking care of everyone out here. Looks like we have approximately one hundred-fifty out so far. How's it going in there, Sir." John was so glad they had communications established within the big ship, even if it was just one comm.

Col. Caldwell appreciated the clear and precise report that Colonel Sheppard conveyed. _"We're fine Colonel. The damage was mainly the upper aft decks. As soon as the engineer gets the recycling pumps working we'll be venting the smoke. If you can have a couple of damage control teams standing by I would be grateful." _

"No problem Sir. I'll have the teams ready and on stand-by. Keep Major Lorne's comm and ask him to meet me at the center access port. Sheppard out."

John wheeled himself over to one of his Marines, Sgt. Edwards, who was helping with the wounded, "Sergeant, would you please go to the armory and bring back a dozen or so comm's. Double-time it if you could." With a quick nod, the Sergeant was off and running.

While the Sergeant went to get the comm's, John arranged for two damage control teams to stand-by and await further instructions from Col. Caldwell on channel five. The Sergeant was just coming through the east pier door when John looked up. Then he looked at his watch and noted that it had only been twenty minutes. When the Sergeant approached with the box of comm's in hand, he was barely out of breath. "Thank you Sergeant. May I ask how you did that so fast?"

A smile crossed the young Sergeant's face, "Sir, I radioed ahead and had them meet me half way."

"Excellent idea Sergeant, just wished I would have thought of it. Carry on." John smiled back and nodded his thanks again. He started towards the belly of the big ship to the center access port to meet Major Lorne.

Over his shoulder he heard the young Sergeant say, "you would have Sir, but you are a little pre-occupied right now with more important things." The Sergeant went back to helping the wounded.

John got to the center access port and found Major Lorne just coming down the ladder. "Here Major, take these, get them to whoever needs one so Col. Caldwell can communicate with his crew. Have the Daedalus personnel stay on channel five. I advised Col. Caldwell that the two damage control teams are on stand-by and awaiting his orders. Do you need any more help inside?"

"No Sir. This will do it. Most of the crew have been evacuated. Only necessary Daedalus personnel still remain. Novak and Hermiod are in engineering working on the downed systems. Dr. Reinhold has a couple patients in sickbay, but no one is in any danger. Actually, I'm ready to send four of the teams out. I'd like to keep two on board to help the damage control teams if needed." Lorne commented, putting his right foot on the first ladder rung to start his climb back into the Daedalus.

At that moment, a loud hiss was heard; gray smoke filled the area around the outside of the ship. It appeared that the engineer finally got the recycling pumps working.

John nodded and turned around to head back towards Beckett and his people to check on them and see if they needed any further help or more supplies. He had received word that the rescue team had managed to free the trapped crewman and found no others trapped. All non-essential personnel had been evacuated and now stood, sat or laid on the pier. The trapped crewman was taken to the infirmary with a broken leg. Dr. Biro would set and cast the injured limb. Everyone else had only minor cuts, bruises, light burns or smoke inhalation. No one else needed the Atlantis infirmary.

As Major Lorne dismissed four teams from the Daedalus, Colonel Sheppard gave them his thanks for a job well done and sent them all to the showers and to get something to eat. He sent all but the two teams that now remained on the pier back as well. Every one of his people had worked fast, careful and flawlessly. He was proud of each and every one of the men and women who served with him and helped save the lives of the Daedalus crew and the new comers to Atlantis.

John informed Elizabeth of the number of guests that would be staying for dinner and to ready a few hotel rooms for a few days. Looking at the hole in the side of the big ship it would take a few days to patch it up before the ship would be space worthy again. Elizabeth got to work on room assignments and advised Rose Highland, and her mess staff, of the extra mouths the would need to be fed. John had the remaining two teams escort the Daedalus personnel off the pier once he got the okay from Beckett.

All in all not a bad morning. Not his usual morning routine, but hey…variety is the spice of life they say. And you couldn't get any more 'spicier' then a crash landing, fire, and rescue.


	2. The Day After

Chapter Two – The Day After

John rolled into Dr. Weir office at 07:01 hours with a tray holding three steaming hot cups of coffee across his lap. He had no doubt that Col. Caldwell would be sitting in her office when he arrived.

"Good Morning Elizabeth, Sir." Coming to stop in front of her desk, he handed Elizabeth a cup of coffee and then handed one to Col. Caldwell.

"Morning John, and thank you." Elizabeth smiled at him while accepting her cup of coffee.

"Thank you Colonel." Caldwell took his mug of coffee and brought it up to his nose for a good whiff and then a slow taste. Yesterday had been one long day which had turned into one long evening.

"Not one of your better landings Sir." John was grinning when he said that. He took a sip of his coffee while Col. Caldwell formulated his response.

"You're right about that Colonel, however, any crash landing that you can walk away from is a good landing in my book." Caldwell nodded, but if you looked quick enough, you could catch a small grin forming.

"That's what I've heard." John deadpanned. "You're a few days early." John added.

John and Elizabeth took care of Caldwell's crew, while Caldwell remained on board the Daedalus overseeing damage control and repairs of a few systems. Neither one had the chance to talk with him about what happened.

"Yes, well…Hermiod had boosted the power crystals to the hyper-drive engines and as a result it shaved off thirty-three hours. Hope you don't mind us 'dropping' in early." Caldwell gave the Colonel a wry grin.

"Not at all Sir. Although I had to apologize to Atlantis for the 'dropping' in part." John paused a moment before he continued. "So, how did the Daedalus get a hole in her side?" Sheppard inquired sipping away at his hot coffee.

"Please tell Atlantis I'm sorry and offer my apology." Stated Caldwell before he started in on his explanation. "We dropped out of hyper-space early. Hermiod said the crystals were over heating a little too much for his comfort and the engines needed to cool down. Since we were close I thought it would be safe to drop out of hyper-space. We were just in the next solar system about two hours from your solar system. As we came out it was just our luck a Wraith hive ship was there. We went to battle stations right away but the hive ship got off the first shot before our shields were at full strength. We managed to defend ourselves plus took the hive ship down. Hermiod managed to get past their shields and we beamed over a Mark V. Then we set course for Atlantis and hoped to God that we could make it. Before we left we did a quick scan of the area and it seemed that it was the only Wraith ship in the area." Col. Caldwell had closed his eyes while recounting what he told Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard. Their final journey to Atlantis had been one heck of a ride. "Sorry for the hard landing Colonel, but with systems down and a hole in her side, it was a struggle to maintain control. My crew managed to get most of the flames under control, but we were limited, due to system malfunctions."

Elizabeth spoke first. "I'm just glad everyone is okay. Dr. Beckett informed me late last night that there was only one major injury, a broken leg. Everyone else escaped with cuts and small burns."

"I got the same report as well." Col. Caldwell paused a moment then continued. "We were turning when the Wraith fired. The area of the ship that took the Wraith blast was the brig and rec center. No one was in those areas thank goodness. But the beam damaged the communications array and some of the navigational systems. We only had communications about half the time, and then when we made that hard landing, it took two way communications off-line completely."

"What's the damage assessment?" Asked John, drawing another long sip of his coffee.

"We have a few systems that still need to be brought back on-line. Communications is top on my list right now. Thanks for the use of the comm's Colonel, looks like we might need them for a few more days. As for the hole in her side, your engineers and mine think they can weld a patch that will get us back home. We'll be staying a few extra days than we normally planned for. The engineers tell me it will take a week, maybe less, to get the weld secure enough for flight." Caldwell finished saying.

"Sir, you can stay as long as you need. We've already rolled out the welcome mat. Let me know if you need any of my personnel to help out. I know you have your own damage teams, but I'll be glad to supplement your people where I can." John offered.

Since being promoted to full Colonel and knowing that Col. Caldwell was the person who initiated it, John had a whole different attitude towards his senior officer. Sheppard no longer felt any distrust towards Caldwell. Now the two worked much better together.

Col. Caldwell set his empty mug of coffee on the edge of Dr. Weir's desk before responding to the gracious offer. "Thank you Colonel. I will let you know." Caldwell paused and reached for a box that had been sitting on the desk top. The box was about the size of a 9mm ammunition crate. "Before I forget, these are for you." Sliding the box toward Colonel Sheppard. "It's the promotions list and new rank insignia's for your people."

"Thank you Sir. With all the excitement, I almost forgot about this. My Marines would kill me if they didn't get their promotions on time." John stated jokingly. Looking at his watch it was nearly 08:00 hours. Time to head to the mess hall for breakfast. He would have to make a short stop off at his office to secure the box.

OoO

During breakfast, John got all caught up on the latest Mainland and Atlantis gossip. Teyla and Ronon had gone to the mainland early yesterday morning to drop off some supplies. They stayed pretty much all day and helped with the crops and Ronon helped repair a few of the huts. Teyla reported that Jinto had a special one. When John asked 'special one what', the group broke out laughing. Even McKay understood what Teyla meant. After explaining to John that Jinto had a new love, John wanted to go right to the mainland and have a talk with him. In his opinion, Jinto was too young to be interested in girls.

Then he had to listen to McKay whine about his new science people that showed up on the Daedalus yesterday. The six new scientists had only been on Atlantis less than twenty-four hours and they were already idiots by McKay's standards.

Evan told him about the Daedalus damage. His estimate matched that of the engineers. It would take a week to repair the ship for flight.

OoO

John was sitting in his office going over the promotions list carefully. Noting those names that he personally requested be promoted ahead of schedule. Most of the names on the list were automatic promotions. Promotions that were made based on length of time served. He guessed that eight-five percent were the Non-Commissioned Officers, as most of the Marines on base were. But he was pleased to see a few of the Officer's getting their just rewards.

It had taken the Colonel over two months to get Major Lorne's promotion request approved, signed and returned. John felt it only fair after all that he had done for him, for his team and for Atlantis.

Tapping his comm, "Sheppard to Major Lorne."

"_Lorne here Sir, what can I do for you?"_ He kindly asked.

"If you're not busy, I need you to report to my office." John said simply, trying to hide his grin.

"_On my way Sir, be there in a few. Lorne out."_

John hated pomp and circumstance, but this time, this time he would enjoy every moment of it. A little over six month ago, John had been honored for saving the lives of four of his fellow expedition members. Then in a blink of an eye he had been sworn in as a full-bird Colonel.

John thought for a split second he should wait and do this up right. But working with Evan over the last three years and even more closely over the last year he knew this was the way to go. If Evan wanted a formal ceremony later he would comply.

John was fiddling with the silver leaves in his hand when Evan knocked on his office door. Motioning for him to enter, John wheeled himself out from behind his desk and faced the Major.

"Attention Major." John snapped out, straight faced, in a command voice you didn't want to challenge.

Major Lorne was taken by surprise, Colonel Sheppard never demanded he stand at attention before. _'What have I done this time,'_ the thought ran quickly through his mind. He snapped to attention, eyes forward, back straight, chin up. The perfect attention form; his drill sergeant would be pleased.

Evan was dressed in his dark gray BDU pants, with a dark blue ribbed long sleeved sweater. On each shoulder was an epaulette brandishing the gold oak leaves that identified him as a Major.

"Raise your right hand." John paused allowing Major Lorne to comply with his order before continuing. "It is my great honor and privilege to announce, Major Evan Lorne, United States Air Force you are hereby being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, with all rights, pay and privileges hereby awarded. Lieutenant Colonel Lorne, do you solemnly swear to uphold the rank bestowed upon you to the highest Military standard and to conduct yourself accordingly?"

"I do, Sir." A stunned Lorne squeaked out.

"Evan, this is a bit awkward, but can you bend down a little." John stated with a quirky grin on his face. As Evan leaned forward enough for John to reach his shoulders, he stated. "These were mine. I've wanted to give these to you for a long time now. Whether you believe me or not, they did bring me good fortune. I hope they do the same for you." Pinning the last silver leaf in place.

Evan stood back up, saluted and said, "thank you Sir."

John returned the salute and held out his hand for a shank, Evan grasped it solidly. Then Colonel Sheppard stated, "you know, tradition states a promotion is sealed with a kiss. I just want you to know, you'll have to find someone else."

The two men looked at each other and broke out in laughter.

John reached over to his desk and snatched up a small black case. Inside were the silver oak leaves intended for the Major. "I wasn't sure if you were into big ceremonies or not, but if you are, I'll arrange it and we can do this all over again." Handing the black case to Lt. Col. Lorne.

Opening the case and seeing a second set of oak leaves he realized what the Colonel meant by 'these were mine'. Evan had been in shock and really wasn't paying close attention to what the Colonel was saying. He looked at the Colonel and smiled, "no, this is just the way I like it. Thank you again, Colonel."

"You're welcome Lt. Colonel Lorne, now if you don't have to hurry off, I have one more promotion I would like to see be taken care of personally. I'm leaving the rest of the Officers and Enlisted up to you to do on your own however you want …Colonel's privilege." John offered a small grin, knowing he was getting out of that detail. He knew that Lorne would do them, even if he had not pushed the job on him.

"I can stay Sir." Lt. Col. Lorne replied.

John tapped his comm and requested Dr. Beckett to his office. John was being a bit cryptic, but the Scottish Doctor complied. Within a matter of minutes, Carson came bounding into the office with doctor bag in hand. John just smiled and proceeded to explain what was going on. Carson smiled and was more at ease so he sat his bag down in one of the open chairs facing the Colonel's desk.

After he contacted Dr. Beckett, he radioed 1st Lt. Laura Cadman to come to his office. Three minutes after Carson arrived, Cadman knocked on the office door requesting entry. John motioned her in and then nodded to Lt. Col. Lorne to do the honors.

Lorne cleared his throat, he was a bit nervous. "Attention Lieutenant." Lorne croaked. His hands sweaty and his boss was watching.

Laura looked around the room, looked at each face intently trying to figure out what was going on. The Colonel was stoic as ever, with a glint in his eye and one eyebrow raised. Dr. Beckett had a smile on his face reaching from ear to ear. Looking at Major Lorne, she noticed his seriousness and when her eyes dropped a little, she noticed he as now a Lt. Colonel.

She snapped to attention quickly, uttering, "sorry Sir."

Lorne took in a deep breath and began, "raise your right hand Lieutenant." He paused. "It is my great honor to announce, First Lieutenant Laura Cadman, United States Marine Corps, you have been promoted to Captain, with all rights, pay and privileges hereby awarded. Captain Cadman, do you solemnly swear to uphold the rank bestowed upon you to the highest Military standard and to conduct yourself accordingly?"

"I do." Laura said with a smile big and bright. "Sir," she added.

Lorne reached forward and removed her silver First Lieutenants bar from her right lapel collar and replaced it with a pair of silver Captain bars. He repeated the process on her left lapel. When he was done and stepped back, Captain Cadman saluted. Lorne responded. "Okay Doc, you're up." He said looking at Carson.

Carson stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on Captain Cadman's cheek, whispering congratulations in her ear.

"Thank you, Sirs." She smiled at all of them. "Congratulations Lt. Col. Lorne." She added.

John looked at both of them, "you both deserve this."

Carson hadn't noticed that Major Lorne was now a Lt. Colonel. He offered his hand to the new Colonel for a handshake.

"Alright, enough." John spoke up loudly. "Lt. Colonel, please post this notice on the bulletin board outside the orientation room. Here are your citations and insignias." Handing Lorne the large box off his desk.

Lorne accepted the box and all that came with it. He turned to Capt. Cadman, "Captain, please post this notice on the bulletin board outside the orientation room."

Captain Cadman accepted the notice with a smile. "Yes Sir."

"I think I'm going to like being a Lt. Colonel." Lorne said sheepishly.

All four began to laugh.

Dr. Beckett walked Capt. Cadman to the nearest transporter before heading back to his infirmary and his patients.

Lt. Col. Lorne was just about to leave when he stopped in the doorway and turned back. "Sir, do I get my own office now?"

John was just wheeling himself back behind his desk when the question was heard. Looking up at his Lieutenant Colonel he replied. "There's not enough room in here for the two of us. If you know of some place let me know. I'll talk to Dr. Weir and I'll make it happen."

"Thank you Sir." With that being said, Lorne walked out of John's office with his new rank and some new responsibilities.

OoO

Corporal Mitchell and Corporal Blair came walking around the corner; they were both headed for the mess hall for dinner. At rounding the corner the pair eyed a bunch of Marines murmuring and pointing to a sheet posted on the notice board outside of the Orientation Room. The two Corporals hastened their pace and edged and elbowed their way into the center of the group to get a look at what was posted on the board.

"Hey!...it's the promotion list." Corporal Mitchell turned his head back towards Corporal Blair and announced.

Elbowing his way in further, "let me look, would ya?" Corporal Blair said to no one in particular. Finally, getting close enough to view the listing his eyes scanned the list for his name. But it was not there. Disappointment was all over the young man's face.

Backing out of the crowd of Marines Cpl. Blair heard several others mutter their disappointment as well. It looked like he was not the only one not being promoted. He heard Lance Corporal Fisher utter a few words, as did Second Lieutenant Knoespel, Warrant Officer Jakubowski and Staff Sergeant Alcala. He was pretty sure he was not alone in his anger.

Corporal Blair stood against the opposite wall fists clinching and un-clinching. Thoughts of food no longer on his mind; teeth grinding at the thought of not making Sergeant. He needed the pay raise for back home. What was he going to do now was his only thought. Then it struck him. He would confront Colonel Sheppard and ask why he was passed over. Maybe it was all a mistake. Sometimes names do get left off the list. And with that thought in mind he headed for the Colonel's office.

Rounding the last corner that would lead him to Colonel Sheppard's office he was stunned to find two other soldier's outside the office. He came up behind Corporal Henderson and leaned against the wall, waiting his turn with the Colonel.

"Next!" Shouted Colonel Sheppard.

Sergeant DeFilippo walked into Sheppard's office. John thought the door shut behind the Sergeant as he stood at attention in front of the desk. Without saying a word John pulled up the Sergeant's file and read off the list of offenses: Brawling and Incomplete After Action Reports. Colonel Sheppard explained to the Sergeant why he passed him over and fifteen minutes later the Sergeant exited the office with a clear understanding.

"Next!" Came another shout from the office.

Corporal Henderson entered the office and stood at attention. John thought the door shut and accessed the Corporal's file and read off the list of offenses: Intoxication while on Duty.

The Colonel didn't mind his men taking an occasional drink but to be intoxicated while on duty was a definite black mark on your record.

Ten minutes later Corporal Henderson left the office, head down.

"Next! The Colonel said aloud.

Corporal Blair entered and stood at attention while Colonel Sheppard thought the door shut. The Colonel brought up Blair's file and read off the list of offenses: Brawling, Inappropriate Behaviour Off-World and Twenty-seven hours short of Duty Time.

A one-sided discussion commenced and an angry, frustrated young Corporal Blair exited the office eighteen minutes later, muttering to himself as he walked down the hall.

Ever since the promotion list had been posted John had had a steady line of Marines outside his office door. John had it down to a science after the first five. The Marine would enter; he mentally locked the door; looked up their performance evals; stated the offenses; advised the Marine what he or she could do to better themselves and then dismissed them. All without the Marine uttering a word and in less than twenty minutes. He was really getting good at this not that he liked it.

"Next!" Shouted Colonel Sheppard.

"Next!" He shouted once more expecting another Marine to file into his office. When no one did, John sighed a sigh of relief. He quickly closed down his laptop and tossed it under his seat. He wheeled himself out of his office faster than humanly possible.

Next time the promotions list comes out he was taking a weeks vacation and letting Lorne handle all the complaints. Fighting the Wraith would be more pleasant than explaining to good Marines how they messed up.

John headed to his quarters he didn't think showing up in the mess hall would be a good idea. Once he got to his room he tried to relax; tried to let the past several hours fade out of existence.

Seventeen Marines showed up at this office door once the promotion list was posted although not all at once but over the course of several hours. He had explained why they were passed over and what they could do to be better Marines. All in all, it was a long afternoon and very distasteful.

Carl came out of his room and was shocked to see the Colonel at this hour. The Colonel was just reaching for his laptop. "Colonel, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting dinner." Carl looked at his watch, noticing the time. He did his best to keep the Colonel on schedule.

Looking up John grinned, "I don't think the mess hall is very safe for me right now. The promotion list is out and I spent the whole afternoon talking to upset Marines," as he finished setting his laptop on the desk.

"What do you plan to do about dinner?" Carl asked folding his arms across his chest.

"I thought maybe I would get someone to bring me a tray." John said matter-of-factly. "I'll call McKay and see what he's up to, or there's Teyla or Ronon. Lorne's another person I can ask. It just isn't safe to be in the mess hall."

"Colonel…are you afraid of your Marines?" Inquired Carl.

"What?...No, no, no. Whatever gave you that idea? I'm just being cautious, that's all." John said.

Carl raised his eyebrow in disbelief, "I see."

OoO

John managed to get dinner and eat peacefully in his quarters. He was just powering up his laptop to get some work done when his comm beeped in his ear.

"_Colonel Sheppard this is Sergeant Moore, you're needed in the gym Sir. And bring Doc Epson if he's available."_ Sergeant Moore reported.

"What's the trouble Sergeant?" John quirked an eyebrow.

"_There's been…well Sir, some of the guys were letting off steam and things got a bit out of hand." _

"Understood. I'm on my way. Sheppard out."

"Carl." John shouted toward Carl's room.

"Yes Colonel, what can I do for you?" Carl asked as he came around the corner of his room.

"Nothing for me, but I just got a call from Sgt. Moore. He says we're both needed in the gym. You available?" John looked up at Carl and with pleading eyes hoped the man would say yes. He sure as hell didn't want to face those Marine's on his own.

"Lead the way Colonel." Carl motioned toward the door and the two men headed for the gym.

OoO

"…you that you don't mess with angry Marines." John stated to Carl as they came back into his quarters. "It's just not wise. Why do you think I ate my dinner in here tonight."

"I think I understand now Colonel. It's late, you ready to hit the showers and call it a night?" Carl asked as he pressed a cold pack up to his right eye.

"Yeah…give me a couple of minutes to grab a few things." John said.

Carl nodded his understanding and went into his own room to survey the damage to his face. He knew he would have a shiner by morning.

John got his shower and dressed in sweatpants and black tee so he would be ready to run with Ronon in the morning. He positioned his wheelchair on the faded markings on the bedroom floor and activated the lift. After the day he had, some parts good and some parts not so good, he was ready to call it a day. The lift came down, he put his arms and head through, the lift rose and John rose with it. What happened next was totally unexpected.

The lift was beginning its slow motion turn to put John in front of his bed when the leather strap holding his body up broke on both sides and John collapsed to the floor. Falling forward and hitting his wheelchair on the way down, John lay in a heap of tangled body parts. The wind was knocked out of him and he was shocked at what had transpired.

After a brief moment, John regained his senses and called out for Carl. He didn't think he had enough energy to pull himself back up into his chair. Carl had taught him how to do that but right now his body ached. He couldn't imagine trying to do that alone. John, having fallen face first towards the floor, began to untangle his limbs and roll himself over into a somewhat seated position. Arms stretched back behind his torso holding himself upright.

Carl heard the Colonel yell for him and came swiftly into the Colonel's bedroom. stopping short as the vision of the Colonel sprawled out on the floor registered. He moved those last few steps towards the Colonel saying, "are you all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine. The strap broke on the lift." John replied, lifting the broken strap with his left hand as evidence of what happened.

Carl lifted the Colonel's right arm over his shoulder and eased the Colonel up. Once the Colonel was in a standing position, Carl grasped the Colonel's waist to better his hold. Almost lifting the Colonel off the floor Carl turned and took three steps toward the bed shouldering all of the Colonel's body weight finally easing the Colonel down onto the soft mattress.

"Are you sure you are all right?" Looking cautiously at the Colonel. He knew the Colonel's reputation for withholding injuries. "Maybe we should go see Dr. Beckett for a scan just to be sure."

"No, I'm fine, really. No broken bones…it was just a short fall, nothing serious." John was doing his best to reassure Carl that he was okay. He just felt a little achy.

"Colonel, did you hit your wheelchair when you went down, or did you try and pull yourself up by grabbing it?" Carl was looking at the wheelchair lying on its side.

"I fell into it. But I'm not hurt, just a bit surprised that the strap broke. And on both sides no less." John learned the hard way he had to be honest with Carl.

Carl reached down and picked up the strap to examine it closely. There was a stress tear on each end. Carl hated himself right now. It was his job to inspect the equipment and maintain it for the Colonel. He hadn't seen any prior evidence of tearing so it confused the heck out of him as to how fast it had broken.

"We'll go to the mainland in the morning after breakfast and see if Halling or someone can repair it." John mentioned. Washing his hand over his face, ready to call it quits for the night. "Hey, since the strap is busted, can you get me out of bed at 05:00? I'm running with Ronon in the morning."

"Sure Colonel. See you at 05:00. Are you sure you didn't hurt yourself." Carl asked one more time.

"I'm sure Carl, really. No harm done. Now goodnight. See you in the morning." John had pulled his lifeless limbs onto the bed and was laying back, eyes closing fast. The last he remembered was thinking the lights off.


	3. Just Not My Day

Chapter 3 – Just Not My Day

As promised, Carl woke John up at 05:00 for his morning run with Ronon. John was a bit stiff and sore and a little achy on his lower left side. Carl checked him over and found nothing wrong. He met Ronon at 05:07. Tagging along today was Carl. Carl wanted to keep an eye on the Colonel just in case he was hiding any injuries.

The threesome ran in silence four miles out and four miles back. It was a great workout for John and it helped him clear his mind. Yesterday afternoon was soon forgotten. Carl noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The Colonel's performance was as excellent as ever. When they got back to the transporter Ronon went his way and John and Carl when back to their suite.

Carl assisted the Colonel with his shower like he always did. When the lift picked the Colonel up Carl got a good view of the Colonel's body; no visible bruising on his torso, none on his legs, arms or back. Maybe the Colonel was right this time, no injuries.

At 07:03 the Colonel rolled into Dr. Weir's office. On his lap was the usual tray holding three hot cups of coffee. He passed them out and settled in for an hours work session. Their conversation started with the repairs to the Daedalus. John offered again to supplement the Daedalus personnel and Col. Caldwell took him up on the welders. Welding was a hot job and with still many systems down, the air circulation on board the ship was poor at best. It was agreed that the welders would work twenty minute shifts.

Off-loading of supplies would take place after breakfast. John would arrange the necessary men. Since the Daedalus wasn't going anywhere soon he didn't think he needed to push the off-loading like he normally would. His team had already proved themselves, time and again, that they could off-load the Daedalus in less than two hours. He planned to give them a break this time.

The fight against the Ori was about the same. The Ori were winning; Earth was losing. Caldwell mentioned that SG1 had some new leads they were following up on but nothing promising yet.

John was excited to report that they were finally going to start to clear the west pier, section by section, level by level. It was the last pier to be investigated. He had Lt. Col. Lorne's team scheduled for 13:00 hours today to tackle Level B, Section 22, along with a team of hearty Marines as back up.

John also mentioned that he was tagging along to see how the team operated as a whole. Even though he read their reports, he also knew there were certain things that never made it into the official report. And since his accident he was Atlantis bound unless it required a jumper. This afforded him his chance to watch his team in action.

Reaching under his seat for the mission file John's lower left side twinged and he let escape a soft moan.

"John are you all right?" Elizabeth asked, concern showing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I pulled a muscle or something during my run this morning. It's nothing." John stated as he straightened up and handed Elizabeth the mission file. As an after thought, he added, "Carl checked me over afterwards and found nothing wrong."

Elizabeth let it go at that. She knew that Carl would not allow the Colonel out of his sight if he was injured or even thought he might be injured.

"Speaking of reports Colonel, when am I going to see the AAR on the Daedalus landing?" Col. Caldwell asked, wanting to have another perspective on the Daedalus landing.

John reached again under his seat to bring out his laptop. That twinge was still there only this time he was prepared for it and made no sound at all. Powering up his laptop he requested the AAR he had written out. It had taken him quite a few hours to get it all summarized.

"I don't believe this…it's gone." He looked up at Elizabeth and Col. Caldwell. "Arrghhh… stop…no, no, no….stop that!" He exclaimed beating on the _Esc_ button which didn't seem to help. Quickly he powered down the laptop.

Sitting forward in her chair she leaned on her desk towards him. "John, what is it? What's wrong?" Elizabeth inquired.

"First the AAR is gone, then it looked like a virus. I don't know what's going on, Elizabeth. I'll have Rodney or Radek take a look. I'm sorry Sir, I'll have that report to you as soon as I can." That's all John could offer up.

It was just about breakfast time and John had plenty to keep him busy until the mission this afternoon. He had an After Action Report to re-write for Col. Caldwell. He needed to see Radek or Rodney and have them take a look at his laptop. He needed to arrange for some special supplies he had requested to find their way from the Daedalus to Jumper One. And he needed to go to the mainland and see if Halling could build a new strap for his lift.

He excused himself and headed to the mess hall. He hoped it was safe to be seen in public again.

OoO

John refilled his coffee and set it on the tray that was on his lap. While waiting in line to snag some eggs and a muffin he was bumped from behind by Lt. Knoespel. The bump was efficient enough to cause the coffee on his lap to tip over, spilling the hot coffee down his legs. If his legs had feelings he would for sure be yelling now. But since they were lifeless his thoughts went to minor burns.

The Lieutenant apologized profusely. John told him he was okay and not to worry. He handed the empty coffee cup and tray to the Lieutenant and headed back to his quarters to change his pants. _'If he only knew what a hassle this was, he would be more careful.'_

John entered his quarters and yelled for Carl as he rolled into his bedroom intending to grab another pair of BDU pants from the closet. After entering his room he came to an abrupt stop. Shock was all evident on his face. Carl came in shortly after. Looking around he too noticed what the Colonel was looking at.

John's room was in shambles. The bedding tossed and or sliced up. The mattress tossed, golf clubs scattered everywhere. His bed pillows were sliced and the stuffing thrown hap-hazardly around. Looking towards his closet his uniforms were shredded; the clothes in his dresser were thrown about the room as well, some shredded or torn. And to top it all off his Johnny Cash poster was torn into pieces.

"How can this much damage be done in such a short time?" He asked Carl. "You're not upset with me are you?" John looked over his shoulder at Carl to read his expression.

"No Colonel, I'm not upset with you and I don't know how this could have happened. I was only gone for an hour like usual." Carl replied. As an after thought, he asked, "why are you back here?"

It took John a moment to register the question before answering. "Oh, I spilled coffee down my pants and needed to change."

"Okay, first off, we check your legs for burns. Then we get you some pants." Carl was always the voice of reason.

While Carl tossed the mattress back on the bed in somewhat order, John got on his comm to the quartermaster and asked that he bring up a pair of pants for him not offering any explanation as to why. He also asked Rodney to come to his quarters to get his laptop.

"Colonel…Colonel." Carl said a second time.

John snapped out of his quandary and looked at Carl.

"Colonel, lets get these wet pants off and let me check for burns." Carl motioned for John to come closer to the bed so he could lift him out of his chair and set him on the mattress. John complied, still stunned at the mess in his room.

John was no help at all undressing he was so stunned. _'Who would do such a thing and why. Why me? Who did I piss off now?'_ John had a lot of thoughts going through his mind right now.

Carl managed without the help of the Colonel to get his pants off and was now checking for burns. There was redness, but it didn't appear to be a burn; first, second or otherwise. Just to be on the safe side, Carl went to his medical cabinet that he kept locked and retrieved some burn ointment and a couple of large gauze bandages. Carl dressed the redden areas on the Colonel's legs. Just as he finished the door chimed.

Rodney had met the quartermaster in the transporter and offered to take the pants to Sheppard since he was going that way anyway. The quartermaster obliged and Rodney now stood on the other side of the door waiting.

Carl opened the door and Rodney bulldozed in heading straight for the Colonel's bedroom without even saying a word. When Rodney got to the doorway he stopped, took in the sight of the room and his mouth hung open. The Colonel sat in the middle of one gigantic mess.

"I didn't realize you were such a slob Sheppard." Rodney belted out in his usual snarky way. Holding out the pants for the Colonel to take.

"McKay!" John snapped back. "I didn't do this. Now give me my pants." John caught the pants Rodney threw at him. He started to put them on and Carl came over to assist. Carl wanted to make sure that the bandages stayed in place.

"What happened?" Rodney asked. It was a simple question.

The not so simple answer was. "First the strap breaks on my lift and I fall flat on my face. My AAR that took most of a day to write is gone and my computer seems to have a virus. I got coffee dumped down my legs before breakfast and when I come back to change I find all of this." John rattled off the events like he was rattling off a sit-rep to one of his superiors. "Can you take a look at my laptop and see if you can trace back how it got a virus? And stop it from wiping out everything."

"Of course Colonel, genius here, remember? Where is it?" Rodney asked nicely.

John, now dressed again, leaned forward towards his wheelchair to get his laptop out for Rodney. Forgetting about the twinge in his lower left side, he groaned. Handing the laptop to Rodney with a look that definitely said 'don't ask'.

But that look was not wasted on Carl, "what's the matter with your left side Colonel?"

"Nothing, I just over extended reaching for the laptop for Rodney." The Colonel offered up.

Carl wasn't sure if he believed that or not, but he'd let it go for now. He would keep a closer eye on the Colonel's movements. There wasn't any bruising so the Colonel was probably right. Carl left the two men to do their work. Carl knew John would be safe so he slipped out and got the Colonel some breakfast.

McKay took a seat in John's wheelchair opening up the laptop to take a look. As soon as the laptop booted up the virus started hacking away at the files. Rodney's fingers flew over the keyboard. Before the fifth file was attacked Rodney had stopped the virus. Working now to trace it back to see how it got in the Colonel's computer, Rodney's fingers continued to pass over the keys at lightning speed.

"Well McKay…" John ground out.

"Working here…give me a minute." Rodney sniped back. "Okay, the virus is purged. You only lost six files, sorry. I traced the virus back and can only tell you it was planted last night. I cannot find any signature. It's a fairly simple virus. Anyone could have put it there. Who have you pissed off?"

"That's just it Rodney, I don't know. I really haven't pissed off anyone. I had seventeen Marines in my office yesterday complaining about their missed promotions, but no one appeared to be so pissed that they would do something like this." John waved his arms around indicating the mess of the room he sat in the middle of.

"Colonel…" Came a call from the living space. Carl had returned and placed John's breakfast on his desk.

Rodney helped John into his wheelchair and the two went into the living space together.

"Colonel, I got you some breakfast. It's on your desk." Carl explained, pointing towards the desk.

"Thanks Carl." John rolled over to his desk and began eating his breakfast. In between mouthfuls John managed to thank McKay. "Rodney…thanks for fixing my computer. If it's okay with you, I think I will scratch the west pier mission today and have Lorne talk to the seventeen Marines from yesterday. I can't imagine it is one of them."

"That's fine with me Colonel. Just watch your back." Rodney remarked and he left the Colonel eating his breakfast.

"Carl, I'll arrange for someone to take you to the mainland to see Halling about the strap. I'll send Teyla with you. I'm staying here." John explained as he finished downing the last bit of his juice.

OoO

Captain Polansky escorted Carl and Teyla to the mainland as requested. They met up with Halling and he said he could reproduce the broken strap. He was saddened to hear of the Colonel's run of accidents. It would take him two days. This was acceptable so Carl and Teyla returned to Atlantis arriving by lunch time.

When Rodney left he comm'd Ronon and advised him of the Colonel's troubles. That was all that needed to be said. Ronon took up watch-dog duty just outside the suite's entrance in a darkened alcove. He could see who went in. But they couldn't see him.

John notified Lorne of the scrubbed mission for this afternoon and asked that he make subtle inquiries of the seventeen Marines from yesterday. Then he contacted the quartermasters again and ordered two more sets of clothing for now. He would let him know if he needed anything else later.

In between all that was going on John tried to re-write his AAR for Col. Caldwell. His mind was just not in it. It kept going around in circles as to who might have done this to his room. John comm'd Elizabeth to apprise her of the mission delay. Elizabeth inquired as to why. When John finally got the story out to Elizabeth as to why he scrubbed the mission she insisted on coming up to his room. The door chimed again and John thought the door open. Elizabeth and Col. Caldwell entered. Col. Caldwell had been in Weir's office dropping off some Earth/Ori intel when John advised her about the mission delay.

"Sir, Elizabeth, sorry for the inconvenience. I've rescheduled the mission for tomorrow afternoon." John stated.

"Are you alright John?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm fine Elizabeth but my room over there is a disaster area. I'm waiting for Carl to return from the mainland. I promised him I would help clean the mess up. I've asked Lt. Col. Lorne to do some subtle inquiries."

Elizabeth and Col. Caldwell walked over to his room and peered in. Elizabeth gasped and her hand went immediately to cover her open mouth. She was appalled at the destruction before her eyes. Caldwell felt similar feelings, but being a career officer, he had long since learned to control his outwardly emotions.

When Carl got back it was nearly lunch time. He wanted the Colonel to stay in the room while he went to get lunch for the two of them. John felt he had to appear unfazed by all that was happening. After-all he is the Military Commander of Atlantis. How would it look if he was afraid to leave his own room.

OoO

John and Carl went to the mess hall for lunch. Shortly after Ronon appeared with his tray of food. Rodney and Teyla followed suit. Teyla offered her assistance with the clean up. Hermiod asked that Rodney report to the Daedalus after lunch to help in engineering with some system repairs. Rodney and Radek were both going. Ronon just grunted and made no effort to hide his intentions. John tried not to let it bother him. Deep down he was glad the Satedan would be close by if needed.

Carl, Teyla and John headed back to the Colonel's suite to clean up the mess. Just before getting into the transporter John told them he needed to stop by his office for some reports in order to finish the AAR for Col. Caldwell. So the three detoured to his office.

Upon entering, John rolled over to the filing cabinet behind his desk. Carl and Teyla stood in the doorway. John put the needed files in the compartment under his seat. When John turned around to leave he froze. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't do anything. He was frozen in place, eyes wide and all the blood drained from his face.

Teyla was first to notice his state of being. She called to him, but he didn't move, didn't blink. She followed his line of sight. She couldn't see anything wrong. As she moved closer she discovered the source of his distress. Acting quickly, she yelled for Carl. "Take him into the hallway now!"

Teyla stood between the desk and John. Carl did not hesitate to follow Teyla's command, and he pushed the Colonel into the outer hallway.

Carl noticed that the Colonel was not breathing. His lips were turning blue and his eyes had yet to blink. Carl put his hands on the Colonel's shoulders and gave the man a good shake, shouting at him to breathe in the process.

John began gasping for air. He couldn't get enough into his lungs. His lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen. No matter what he did he found himself gasping for more. His eyes were watering now.

Carl tried to get the Colonel's attention and to make him listen to what he was saying but it was no use. Carl tapped his comm requesting a re-breather mask immediately. Still trying to get the Colonel to slow his breathing and take short breaths was impossible. Soon the re-breather showed up Carl placed it across the Colonel's mouth and nose and held it tight. The Colonel tried to fight it but Carl held steady.

Soon the Colonel was breathing normally. Dr. Beckett stood to the side and allowed Carl to help the Colonel control his breathing. Once the Colonel was more coherent Carson began to check him over.

John looked around to see where he was. When he realized he was just outside of his office he began to panic again. "Get it out of there!" He shouted. "Kill it!….Kill it!"

Teyla rushed over to him and grabbed his face between her strong hands. "It is all right now, John. It is dead. It will not harm you. You do not need to worry. I will take care of it for you. Do you understand?"

Removing her hands from his face, John nodded. Carl placed the re-breather back on the Colonel's face for a few more minutes. Carson wanted to take him to the infirmary John shook his head and quietly uttered, "my room."

Carson finally agreed. Carl pushed the Colonel to the transporter and back to his room. Beckett followed. During the trauma Carl forgot about the disarray in the Colonel's room. "Colonel, your room has not been cleaned yet. You can rest in my room." Carl received a slight nod of acceptance and understanding.

Carl got the Colonel resting on his bed. Even before Dr. Beckett pulled the mild sedative from his bag, the Colonel's eyes were almost closed. It didn't take long and the Colonel was sleeping.

Carl and Dr. Beckett went out into the living space to talk. "Why can't the Colonel rest in his room?" Inquired Carson. Carl escorted the Doctor over to the Colonel's room to have a look. "Bloody Hell! What happened in here?"

"When we came back from breakfast this morning we found his room like this. The Colonel is not sure who or why these things are happening to him." Carl simply stated.

"What things?" Carson asked.

"Last night the strap broke on his lift. His AAR was gone, a virus was uploaded on his computer. Coffee was spilled down his legs, this mess and now that bug." Carl was at a loss for words. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to hurt the Colonel.

Carson left instructions for Carl to call him once the Colonel woke up. Beckett went back to his infirmary passing Teyla in the corridor outside the Colonel's room.

Teyla, Ronon and Carl spent the afternoon cleaning up the Colonel's room. New supplies were brought up from the quartermasters as well as from laundry services. Everything was put back in its place, except for the Johnny Cash poster. The pieces were gathered and placed in a small box.

Carl inquired about the bug. He had only caught a glimpse of it but wondered why the Colonel had such a strong reaction to it. Teyla calmly explained.

As it turned out, the Iratus Bug on the Colonel's desk was dead; frozen to be exact. The Entomology department had a couple of them on ice to study. Dr. Weir launched an investigation and it was soon discovered that one of their samples was missing. John had never been told of their existence for fear this same type of reaction might occur.

Lorne discretely interviewed most of the names from the list the Colonel had supplied him with. So far none of the Marines wanted revenge; he still had five names to go: Jakubowski, Alcala, DeFilippo, Knoespel and Henderson.

Carl had inserted a catheter while the Colonel slept. Periodically, he checked his blood pressure, respirations, pulse and temperature all noted on his nursing logs which he e-mailed to Dr. Beckett. While the Colonel slept, he, Teyla and Ronon kept watch over him from the living space just a few feet away.

It was late evening when the Colonel woke. By then Rodney joined his team mates in the living space, in a show of support, after working all afternoon on the Daedalus. The Colonel, after being checked over once more by Carson, went back to sleep.


	4. Another Bad Day

Chapter 4 – Another Bad Day

John slept all night long. Carl periodically checked his vitals throughout the night and the Colonel never stirred. Ronon had taken up a good portion of the floor stretching his long, lean body down to rest. Teyla and Rodney made use of the two chairs for the night while the three allowed Carl to rest on the couch.

The sun was beginning to shine through the large window of the living space. Ronon tapped the Docs arm and announced, "Sheppard's awake."

Carl gathered his senses and sat up on the couch. Teyla and Rodney began the slow process of waking as well. "How do you know?" Carl asked the big man.

"I just do." Ronon replied shrugging his shoulders at the Doc.

Carl got up and walked into his bedroom to check on his patient as he heard his name being called.

OoO

By early morning John slowly woke. Taking in his surroundings he became aware he was not in his room. On the nightstand to his left sat a photograph of a young vibrant looking girl dressed in winter clothing. The backdrop was white snow capped mountains. John realized he must be in Carl's room and the photograph was of his sister.

For as long as the two men shared the suite this was the first time John had ever been in Carl's room. Looking around further the room was sparse; no other personal mementos adorned the walls or surfaces other than the one single photograph on the nightstand.

"Carl." He managed to croak out, his voice was rough and his throat dry.

Carl came through the door with a confused smile on his face. "How are you feeling this morning Colonel?"

"Fine, why am I in your room?" Swallowing several times to wet his parched throat.

Carl seeing that the Colonel needed a drink he went into his bathroom and brought back a glass of water handing it to the Colonel. Carl helped hold the Colonel's shoulders up so he could take a swallow. "What do you remember about yesterday?" Carl inquired. While listening to his answer, Carl tapped his comm and advised Dr. Beckett that the Colonel had awakened. Carson said he would be up in a few minutes after stopping by the mess hall for a breakfast tray for the Colonel.

Handing the empty glass to Carl the Colonel took a moment to draw on his memories of the past day. Carl added another pillow under his head. "I remember my laptop had a virus, my AAR was gone and my room got trashed. Is that why I'm in here? My room is still trashed."

"That's partly why. What about your afternoon? What do you remember doing?" Carl gave the Colonel a little nudge.

Thinking harder about his afternoon, he got nothing. No memories at all. Nothing was coming back. Before he could answer he heard a loud shriek coming from the other room; the door chimed as well. Carl got up immediately and answered the door. Drs. Beckett and Weir were on the other side. Carl took the breakfast tray and headed for the desk all the while explaining to the good doctor that the Colonel had no memory of his afternoon.

Rodney was furiously typing away on the Colonel's laptop, hovering close by was Teyla and Ronon looking over his shoulder. Expletives escaped his mouth every so often, which drew the attention of Carson, Elizabeth and Carl. Now everyone surrounded Rodney.

"What's wrong Rodney?" Asked Elizabeth.

"I woke and had this idea about what's wrong with one of the systems on the Daedalus and I needed to get my thought down. I didn't have my laptop so I grabbed Sheppard's. When I powered it up this came up." Rodney turned the laptop screen to show Dr. Weir what was displayed.

Shock stole her breath away; the message was clear and it was a horrible thing to see. Dr. Beckett let out a 'bloody hell' and turned away shaking his head in disbelief, heading for his patient in the other room.

"Rodney, can you find out who sent that to him? And get that damn message off his laptop before he sees it?" Elizabeth shuddered to think what would happen if John saw the message.

"Working on it 'lizbeth…" Rodney grumbled.

"This is more than a few accidents. I don't want John to be left alone under any circumstances. Someone out there is trying to hurt him; we need to find out who. I'll contact Colonel Lorne and fill him in. Rodney if you can trace that back to whomever, let Lorne know right away." Elizabeth looked at everyone's faces. They all had the same concern for John's wellbeing showing as she did.

Rodney just waved a frantic hand in acknowledgement and kept on trying to trace the e-mail.

OoO

Carson replaced his look of disgust with a smile as he walked into the bedroom to check on the Colonel. "Good Morning lad, how are you feeling?"

"Fine Doc, what's going on out in the other room? I heard…" John was cut off by Carson. John had noticed the quick change in facial expressions as the doctor came through the door.

"Oh…that was Rodney, he had this idea on how to fix the Daedalus and got all excited. Don't you worry about that. Any pain, headache or nausea?" Carson asked.

"No, nothing. What's going on Carson? I want to get up." John said with a bit more insolence then he intended. Carson was evading his questions and now, something was definitely going on.

John lied, not about the headache or nausea, but he lied about not remembering. While Carl went to answer the door he remembered clearly and vividly what happened yesterday afternoon. John was not proud of the fact he had panicked. In fact it made him sick the way he reacted. And he knew something else was going on in the other room and wanted to know what it was. His spidey-sense told him so.

"Aye, and you will. Just let me give you a once over and I'll get Carl to help you get up. I brought you breakfast. It's on your desk."

"Good. I'm hungry." John spat, and let Carson do his checks. He was not going to give in to whoever was playing these sick games.

"Colonel, your temperature is up a wee bit, and your blood pressure is down, but I guess that could be from all the rest you've had. Everything else checks out fine." Carson stated and patted his leg.

Finally, Carson was done and he left the bedroom to go get Carl. There still was the matter of the catheter that needed to be removed. Carl came in and took care of that little matter. Then Carl got the Colonel into his wheelchair.

John greeted everyone when he came out into the living space then headed over to his desk to eat breakfast. After missing dinner last night, he was truly famished this morning. Small talk consumed the area while he continued to eat. Elizabeth reported that Lorne still had a few names left to interview but so far no one admitted to destroying the Colonel's clothes and bedding. Teyla said that Halling would have the strap fixed in another day. Rodney updated him on the progress he, Radek and Hermiod had made on the Daedalus.

John needed to get a shower and put on a clean uniform, so he politely ushered everyone out of his suite. John thanked Carl for cleaning up his room as he pulled out what he needed from the closet and dresser. Carl explained he had had assistance. John would be sure to thank Teyla and Ronon when he saw them.

OoO

John was just about ready to leave the suite when the door chimed. He thought open and there was Lt. Gadient.

"Good Morning Colonel, I thought you would want this right away. The supplies from the Daedalus have finally been off-loaded and here is that item you requested." Lt. Gadient was holding out a large sized box for the Colonel to take.

"Thank you Lieutenant." John accepted the box carefully, nodding to the Lieutenant as he left and closed the door.

John placed the box carefully on his lap and rolled towards his desk. Setting the box on the desk gently he started to open it up from the top and sides. A month or so ago he had talked to the Lieutenant and asked him if he could get a snow globe of Switzerland for him. Since Lt. Gadient was Swiss he hoped he had family back there that would help him out. He wanted to give something special to Carl as a thank you for what he had done for him over this past year.

Many times during their exercise and stretching sessions, Carl would tell him of his home in Switzerland, the people, the food and the snow capped mountains. Carl never really considered the states his home, his heart always went back to beautiful Switzerland.

Finally unwrapping the globe from all its packing materials John held it preciously in one hand while moving the box and stuffing out of his way. Setting the globe down, John was in awe of the beauty known as Switzerland. That was one country he had never been to during his many postings as an Air Force pilot. But one he would like to visit now.

The globe sat ten inches in height on a base that added another four. The diameter, of the polished wooden base, he guessed was six inches. Inside the globe was a mountainous scene with snow capped peaks. Trailing down the mountains the snow disappeared and the mountain turned into lush green trees. The trees gave way to the green fertile valley until it ended at a small crystal blue lake surrounded by a tiny village.

The snow globe was musical. John turned the small crank on the underside a few times and gave it a gentle shake before setting it down on the desk top. As he listened to the melody the snow inside the globe glittered and gently fell to surround the tiny village inside.

John now understood, and could see, the beauty which Carl had so eloquently described so many times to him during their therapy sessions. The melody ended and so had the fake snow. John reached for the box it had come in, leaving out the wrappings. He placed the globe back inside. Setting the box on his lap for a second time he rolled cautiously over to Carl's bedroom door and knocked.

"Carl…can I come in a minute?" John asked.

Carl opened the door and allowed the Colonel to enter. John rolled his wheelchair just inside the door and stopped.

"Hey…this is the second time I've been in your room in as many days." That was John's attempt at a little levity.

Carl didn't respond to the statement, he just nodded his understanding.

"Carl, I have something for you. I wanted to say thank you for all that you have done for me this past year and for all the things I know you will continue to do for me." John lifted, with both hands, the box off his lap and handed it to Carl.

Carl accepted the box but before opening it, set it on the bed corner. It was heavier than he expected. Opening the box Carl reached in and pulled the snow globe out. As he held it with both hands and looked over every inch of the scene inside, he said, "thank you Colonel, it's beautiful." Carl reached underneath and turned the small crank to hear what melody it played.

Carl was lost in the tune. From his expression John figured it was a tune Carl recognized.

"Um, I know you must be tired…and I…have work that needs to be done. So I'll leave now." John turned his wheelchair around and headed out the door. Leaving Carl lost in the tune of the snow globe.

OoO

"_McKay to Sheppard."_ Rodney said into his comm.

"Sheppard here."

"_Hey…where are you?"_ Rodney explained.

"I'm on my way to my office…I'm in Corridor A, Section 7." John explained.

"_I'll meet you at Section 5…be there in a few."_ Rodney told him as he tapped off his comm.

A few minutes later the two men met at Section 5. Rodney handed John his laptop and John set it in the compartment under his seat. Rodney followed John down the hallway to the transporter. They both got in and Rodney tapped the panel to take them to Level Three where John's office was located.

John was rolling nicely along the hallway not really paying any attention to McKay's ranting going on behind him. Rodney was rattling off his brilliant idea on how to get the power system up and running to the chamber crystals on the Daedalus. Thus, explaining why Rodney had taken his laptop in the first place. John only heard bits and pieces and only understood about a third of what Rodney was explaining.

John turned the last corner towards his office and stopped abruptly outside his office door. McKay was too busy talking to notice that John had stopped and walked right into the back of his wheelchair.

"Hey…give a guy some warning next time…you need brake lights or something on that thing…why'd you stop?" Once Rodney recovered from walking into the back of John, he finally took a breath and walked around in front to look at John's expression.

John looked like a statue. John could pass himself off easily if it wasn't for his breathing. He sat stiff in the chair, his hands gripped the wheels and his knuckles were going white. His complexion was pale and his hazel eyes stared straight ahead at his desk. Sweat beaded on his forehead threatening to run down his face.

"Hey…hey…hey…breathe. Come on Sheppard…you are so not doing this… now…don't do this to me…now breathe!...Dammit Sheppard!" Rodney was standing in front of John with his hands on John's shoulders shaking him, trying to break John out of his trance, all the while yelling.

Rodney had been filled in on what had taken place yesterday afternoon. When he got to Sheppard's room last night Teyla had explained what happened. He knew that John had frozen and panicked. He was told about the call for a re-breather. Rodney sure didn't want a repeat of that now.

"Colonel!...come on now, you got to breathe…please!" Rodney begged of him, still shaking the Colonel's shoulders. "Do I need to call Carson?"

John blinked his eyes. He was disoriented at first, then he focused on Rodney standing in front of him yelling, watching his lips move. The words didn't mean much to John, they were all a jumble of sounds. John took notice that Rodney was about to panic.

"Will you stop that!" John snapped out, bringing his hand up to knock Rodney's off his shoulder. But Rodney held fast and didn't move.

Rodney stopped the shaking, but left his hands on the Colonel's shoulders as a way to ground John to reality. "I will if you promise to breathe."

"Geez McKay…I'm breathing." John replied, although he wasn't breathing that steady yet.

Rodney removed his hands and stood up facing John. John washed his hands over his hot face and wiped away the sweat on his brow to give himself a little more time to calm his nerves. His stomach was a knot of pain.

McKay studied him, watched him carefully, every little nod, twitch, every movement, each breath he took, in detail. Rodney calculated its meaning and cataloged it. Then it dawned on him why John reacted this way. "You remember don't you."

Rodney recalled Carl explaining to Beckett this morning that John had no memory of his afternoon events.

John looked up at him, meeting his gaze and nodded.

"When? Why didn't you say anything? I could have…" John cut Rodney off from finishing that last statement.

"I remembered this morning. I didn't say anything, because I didn't want Beckett to sedate me again or haul my ass into the infirmary. It's bad enough I panicked." John explained, the nausea was building inside him.

"Look, you don't have to go in there. We can go to my lab or something." Rodney offered.

"No, no, I need to do this. I can't let that damn bu…you know what, do this to me. I just …" John swallowed hard, pushing back the bile that was rising, he was sweating over a damn bug. He had to do this.

"Okay…let me go in first." Rodney said and when he got a nod from Sheppard, Rodney turned and walked into the Colonel's office. Rodney moved to the desk first to make sure there were no more bugs left as a gift. And after this mornings e-mail, he wanted to be sure there were no notes left on the desk either.

He nodded at Sheppard who was still at the threshold of the door.

John took a deep breath in and slowly rolled his wheelchair over the threshold and into his office. Rolling to the back side of his desk, where the Iratus Bug had been placed, he slowly let his breath out in a sigh of relief. He had done it. He was in his office. And there were no bugs.

Rodney stayed for a short while, sitting quietly in the office chair while John worked, making sure his friend would be alright. When Rodney started to tap a stylus on the metal arm of the chair John finally asked him to go. He had work to get done and there was a mission planned for the west pier.

"Rodney…stop that…please. I'll be fine. I'll see you for lunch. Now GO!" John grinned and pulled McKay by his sleeve to get him out of the chair and out the door. After Rodney was gone John went back to his desk and got more work done. In the back of his mind he knew Ronon was not far away; keeping a safe watch over him.

OoO

John didn't have much of an appetite, but he managed to eat about half of what was on his tray. The rest he forked over to Rodney and Ronon. When lunch was over, John, Ronon, Rodney, Teyla and Lorne headed to the armory to get outfitted for their mission to the west pier.

The quartermaster had to issue John a new vest since his was lying in shreds somewhere. So while the rest of the team got their gear on John went about restocking his vest. He rolled himself down the isle to grab a pocket flashlight. Next to the flashlights were the pocket knifes and he put one of those in his vest pocket as well. He continued down the isle restocking; string, waterproof matches, compass, batteries, field bandages, and so on. He finally came around the last isle which held the ammunition for the various weapons. John needed two additional 9mm clips to finish off restocking his vest. Since he didn't carry a P-90 any longer he only needed 9mm clips.

The ammo for his 9mm sat on a shelf that was over his head. He thought about waiting and asking for help, but then pride took over and he figured he could reach the box with no problem. He positioned his wheelchair close to the shelving, his right wheel tight up against the lower shelves. He reached over his head to pull the box out, fingertips pulling the box towards him inch by inch.

When the ammo box was partly out, John steadied the box with his left hand. John continued to use his right hand fingertips to inch the heavy box out further. John's left side decided it didn't like the way he was stretching and twinged. The twinge was painful enough that his left hand came down automatically to press against his side, forgetting that it was the hand holding the ammunition box precariously over his head. The resulting action allowed the corner of ammo box to strike his left side before crashing to the floor with a resounding thud. Ammo clips scattered across the armory floor.

After the initial shock of being struck in the side, embarrassment took over. The armory Sergeant, DeFilippo, came to see what had happened. His team mates arrived shortly after. He looked up at the Sergeant with an apologetic look, not sure what he could say at this moment that wouldn't bring more embarrassment to himself. He could feel his face flush red.

John leaned over and started picking up the clips and handing them to the Sergeant, stashing two clips in his vest pocket first. He hadn't meant to cause a mess. If he wasn't so damn prideful none of this would have happened. It took less than ten minutes to pick up the remaining 9mm clips from the armory floor. Sergeant DeFilippo put the clips back in the box and set the box back on the shelf.

Colonel Sheppard now had a fully stocked vest. His backpack was stowed under his seat with two extra bottles of water. He met up with Lorne and his team just outside the armory in the hallway. The Marine detachment was just coming down the hall.

Lieutenant Ruiz, Sergeant Miller, Corporal Mitchell and Corporal Bandimere were to be their escorts. At the last minute, Corporal Blair requested the mission and Bandimere stayed behind. It was Lorne's old team mates, Ruiz, Miller and Mitchell, with the exception of Corporal Blair.

"Corporal Blair, nice to see you." John offered with a grin. The last time he spoke to the young Corporal was in his office two days ago when he was upset about his missed promotion. John hoped that seeing him now meant his little talk did some good.

The Corporal had been short on hours and had a few other issues he needed to work through but this was a first step in the right direction. Colonel Sheppard told him in no uncertain terms he needed to volunteer for missions and otherwise keep his nose clean.

"Are we going sometime today ladies, or are we starting a quilting bee?" Rodney snarked, his patience was wearing thin. Rodney gave the Colonel an evil look.

"Dr. McKay, are you not allergic to bees?" Teyla inquired, giving him a warm smile.

"Hey…don't look at me that way…Colonel Lorne is in charge of this mission. I'm just along for the ride…no pun intended." John said with a grimace, as his left side twinged again.

Lorne taking the hint finally said. "Let's move out." The nine member exploration team started down the hallway that would lead them to the western pier. Two Marines in front taking point, Lt. Ruiz and Cpl. Mitchell, Lorne's team and Colonel Sheppard in the middle, followed up by Sgt. Miller and Cpl. Blair covering their six.


	5. The West Pier

Chapter 5 – The West Pier

Thirty-five minutes of walking, or rolling in Colonel Sheppard's place, the nine member team arrived at the first lab in the west pier. Lt. Ruiz and Cpl. Mitchell entered first and did a preliminary sweep of the room. Once Lt. Ruiz gave his okay, Lorne's team, plus one entered. The four Marines stood guard in the hallway.

Dr. McKay, being the most anxious, raced to the console panel to see if he could tell what this lab had been used for. Lorne walked the perimeter looking for any hazards. Teyla and Ronon hung back, while John just watched his people work. Taking mental notes on their room clearing techniques, how they guarded the scientist and how well they moved as a cohesive unit.

Rodney determined that this lab had been used to categorize plant life. Nothing Earth shattering in here that would protect them from the Wraith or their other enemies. But the Botanist's would surely love to have a look.

Colonel Lorne rounded everybody up and they proceeded down the hall to the next lab. Lt. Ruiz and Cpl. Mitchell entered first again and did a sweep of the lab. This lab had some standing water on the floor, but only an inch or so. The ceiling was cracked and the walls had seen better days. As the two Marines exited, Lt. Ruiz reported on the condition of the lab. The lab would have to be slated for another day after the engineers had a chance to shore it up for safety.

The large group headed to the next lab, zigzagging back and forth across the hallway. This time Sgt. Miller and Cpl. Blair entered first and did the room sweep. Sgt. Miller reported that the room was clear and okay to enter. There were two consoles to the far right of the door as you entered. McKay headed in that direction; Ronon and Teyla only a few steps behind the harried scientist. Lorne walked the perimeter of the lab looking for clues and unknown hazards. John just watched and mentally continued to catalog what he saw.

Rodney had finished his analysis of the first console and quickly moved onto the second. This lab had been used for cataloging soil samples taken from other planets. Nothing here that would help their fight. Lorne had opened a few of the drawers that lined the outer walls of the lab. Each drawer held small containers which appeared to be soil samples.

The group being rounded up again, proceeded to the fourth lab on this level. Sgt. Miller and Cpl. Blair completed the room sweep with efficiency. There was water on the floor in some areas of this lab too, but no visible damage to the walls, floor or ceiling, so Lorne authorized a look. The lab was much smaller than the first two they investigated. John stayed in the doorway where there was no water to get into. This time, Ronon appeared to hover closer to the door, while Teyla hovered near Rodney. Lorne circled the perimeter, while the other four Marines stood fast in the hall behind Colonel Sheppard.

Rodney could not get the console to activate at all so he noted on his laptop to return with Radek and a generator at a later time. Lorne opened up a few of the drawers, but they were empty.

The team moved to the next lab down the hall. This lab had two sections. After the initial sweep of the main lab section had been made by the Marines, and cleared for entry, Lorne sent three Marines to sweep the attached room while he did his own perimeter sweep of the main lab. Lorne requested a Marine to stand guard at the main door and Cpl. Blair offered quickly. Colonel Sheppard gave the young Cpl. Blair a nod, relaying a non-verbal 'good job'.

Lorne hovered over Dr. McKay's shoulder to see what he was bringing up on the console. Teyla and Ronon stood to the side and watched. From what John could tell it had to do with something metal.

The Colonel wheeled himself to the doorway of the second lab but had not crossed over into the other room yet. A blaring noise sounded and the doors to the second lab shut firmly together, as did the entry door. The Colonel tried to open the door from his side, but it appeared the three Marines were sealed in the second room, while the five of them were sealed in the main lab. Only Cpl. Blair remained un-detained in the outer hallway.

Colonel Sheppard hoped that the sealed room behind him and the alarm didn't mean that his men were in trouble.

Lorne tapped his comm, trying to reach Lt. Ruiz, Sgt. Miller or Cpl. Mitchell, but his request was met with static. Lorne tried to reach Cpl. Blair. He received only static again. "There must be some sort of shielding. I can't get through to the men. McKay what is going on?" Lorne shouted over the alarm.

John wanted to take control of the situation and yell at Rodney for answers. As he opened his mouth to yell over the noise, he quickly remembered that this was Lorne's team now; he was only there to observe. He needed to know how they handled such things when off-world, so he let Colonel Lorne handle McKay and this situation.

Lorne, Teyla and Ronon all gathered around the console, while Rodney's fingers swiftly ran over his laptop keys looking for answers. John rolled a little closer so he could hear over the noise, yet stay far enough away not to step on Lorne's authority. So far his Second in Command was doing an excellent job.

But so far, Rodney was letting him down. He still hadn't shut that darn alarm off, nor had he come up with why the doors had suddenly shut and sealed them in.

Over the alarm, an explosion rocked the lab. A large section of the ceiling came down right on top of the console where Rodney and the others were standing. Behind Colonel Sheppard a wall panel opened up and spilled metal rods that blocked the doorway to the three Marines. The rods were about two to three inches in diameter and about six feet in length. There must have been twenty or more that fell out of the wall panel.

So far Colonel Sheppard remained unharmed both from the ceiling debris in front of him and from the rods that fell behind him. He couldn't reach the main door from where he was and with so much of the ceiling laying in front of him he could not get close enough to see if his people were safe. He yelled over the alarm in hopes of any type of response from under the debris.

Colonel Sheppard tried his comm to see if he could reach anyone after the explosion, but static was all he got. He turned to the doorway behind him and started moving the metal rods. He managed to get most of the rods out of the way. He still had a couple of obstacles in his way before he could reach the door, so he decided he would use one of the metal rods, hopefully, to pry the door open to get the three Marines out.

One of the rods was jammed into some ceiling debris. It was preventing the Colonel from getting close to the door. And with the other debris surrounding him he could not wheel himself any closer. Colonel Sheppard fell forward out of his wheelchair and landed on the floor like Carl had taught him. Using his upper body strength, he pulled himself over the debris closer to the rod that was stuck.

Laying somewhat on his right side, getting a good grip on the metal rod, he yanked with all his upper strength and pulled the rod out of the debris, tossing it aside. He had one more piece to go. He pulled his body towards the next rod that stood in his way, dragging behind him his useless legs. When he got close, he took hold of the metal rod and pulled. Furiously tugging, and a few choice curse words later, the rod came free.

The Colonel was panting from the exertion. He was hot, sweaty and his side hurt like the devil.

He took the last rod and began wedging it into the closed doors. After the explosion, he noticed the sealed doors had bent at the bottom, most likely due to the metal rods crashing into the door. He hadn't seen that before, but this just might be the edge he needed to free his Marines. He wedged the rod into the opening, when he was satisfied it was in far enough, he used the rod like a crowbar. The Colonel pulled back on the bar with all his fortitude, letting a scream rip from his lips that he had been hiding.

The scream was not so much from the exertion of prying the doors open, but from the shooting pain in his left side. He could feel his insides tear open. Muscle, flesh and bones felt like they were on fire.

The doors slowly moved apart. The Colonel inserted the rod further and pulled again, getting the same result. The doors moved further apart. From the other side of the door he could hear shouting. The Marines had found their own wedge to use to pry the doors open. After the Colonel got the door started, the three Marines finished the job from their side.

Lt. Ruiz was the first to enter, shocked to see his Commanding Officer lying on the floor. He was lying on his back panting; sweat and dirt covered his body from head to toe. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just get Lorne and the others…they were standing near the console….when the ceiling… came down." Colonel Sheppard breathed out.

Before Lt. Ruiz and the other two Marines did anything, they helped Colonel Sheppard back into his wheelchair. Lt. Ruiz noticed that his pant leg had a dark stain and there was a small tear in his BDU's. Upon closer inspection, the Colonel had a three or so inch gash in his left thigh.

"Corporal, put a dressing on that wound." Lt. Ruiz commanded, pointing at the Colonel's leg.

Colonel Sheppard wanted to protest, but the Corporal was too fast for him. His thigh was bandaged in a matter of minutes. John reached under his seat for a bottle of water. He was sweating bullets and the pain in his side had turned into a constant throbbing, stabbing pain. He was finding it harder to keep nausea at bay.

The Colonel maneuvered himself around to watch the three Marines dig out his friends. They had managed to get a path cleared to the entry door, so John wheeled himself over there and tried to get the doors open while the three kept digging through the debris. He prayed that Cpl. Blair had called for help when the doors slammed shut.

Colonel Sheppard worked on the door control crystals, just like McKay had showed him in the past. So far nothing was working. The Colonel took a deep breath, closed his eyes and willed the door to open. He pleaded with Atlantis to let him out and to get help for his friends. That must have worked, since the doors slid open partway. Hands were reaching in to separate them further.

Colonel Sheppard was pleased. Cpl. Blair had radioed for help. A second team of Marines were standing on the other side. John rolled out into the hallway, as the four fresh Marines rushed into the lab to help dig the others out. "Corporal…," Colonel Sheppard wheezed. "…you did good. I'm proud of you." The effort to talk was difficult, his side hurt, he was hot and he was soaking wet, leaning a bit to his left.

"Thank you Sir." Corporal Blair replied with no emotion showing on his face. _'You were supposed to have died in there!'_ He thought.

"Sir!" Shouted one of the Marines from inside the lab. "They're alive, but they need medical attention."

John nodded and tapped his comm. "Sheppard to Beckett."

"_Go ahead Colonel."_ Beckett replied.

"Medical emergency to the west pier. Level B, Section 22." John stated.

"_On my way Colonel."_ Beckett shouted back.

The Marines kept digging. Ceiling debris was tossed every which way. By the time they got Lorne, McKay, Ronon and Teyla uncovered, Beckett was running down the hall in their direction. Medical staff and gurneys trailing close behind.

"In there Doc." John pointed to the four bodies, his friends, lying on the floor.

Without stopping, he turned into the lab and rushed over to them. He reached Teyla first, strong pulse, but a goose egg on her right temple meant a possible concussion. He checked her for broken bones and found none. "Alright, get her on a gurney, gently now." He told the Marines.

Beckett reached for Ronon's neck to check his pulse and it too was beating strong. As he went about checking for bumps and broken bones Ronon came too. He assured the Doctor that he was fine and to prove it stood up. Dr. Beckett gave him that look, that look that said, 'don't be messing with me son, you'll regret it' look. Ronon understood that look all too well. But honestly, he only had a few bruises and scrapes, the debris had just knocked the wind out of him.

While Carson was checking Rodney, Lorne came around. "Doc…they all right?" He asked.

"Aye, Colonel, everyone seems to be ok, Teyla has a concussion, and Ronon seems ok, and Rodney here…"

"Ow…ow..ow..ow. What happened?" Rodney asked as he grabbed his right arm.

"The ceiling came down on ya. Anything else hurt?" Carson looked at Rodney waiting for him to begin his long list of aches and pains.

"No, just my arm…oh god! I'm bleeding. And it's the same arm as the Genii…." Rodney stopped himself before he finished that thought.

"You'll be alright lad. Colonel, how are you fairing?" Carson turned to Colonel Lorne and asked.

"Fine Doc, just got a scratch here on my leg is all." Lorne reported.

It made Carson's job so much easier when his patients told him where they hurt, unlike a certain Colonel he knew and loved. Beckett had a bandage on Rodney's arm and the Colonel's leg in no time.

Lorne and McKay went into the hallway, while Beckett asked the other Marines if they were okay. He wanted a look at their hands to check for any cuts they would have received while removing the debris. Satisfied he moved out into the hallway with the others. "Where's Colonel Sheppard?"

Corporal Mitchell spoke up. "He went with Ms. Emmagan to the infirmary, Corporal Blair went with him as escort."

"Well I'll be a …." Beckett started saying.

"…Sheepherder's dog?" Finished Rodney. Beckett just stared. Rodney realized he had just made a huge mistake. He had a cut on his arm that would require stitches for sure and he just pissed off the CMO. He was sure he would get the big needles now.

Before a fight could break out, Lorne wrangled McKay in. "Okay everyone, let's head back. That's enough exploring for one afternoon. Everyone needs to report to the infirmary, SOP people." Lorne started walking down the hallway, followed by Ronon, Rodney, Carson, a handful of medical staff, gurneys and seven tired Marines.

OoO

"Colonel, it looks like everyone else is fine. Why don't we follow Ms. Emmagan to the infirmary and get your leg looked at as well." Offered Corporal Blair. _'Say yes dammit, I need to get you alone.'_ Blair thought to himself.

John weighed the idea. Follow Teyla since she was the only one still unconscious, or wait to go back with everyone else. He was really worried about Teyla, and Teyla won. "That's a good idea Corporal. Why don't you go tell Colonel Lorne and then we'll leave."

Corporal Blair nodded. When he stepped into the room, the Doctor was taking care of Colonel Lorne, so he asked Corporal Mitchell to relay the information. Corporal Blair returned to the hallway and he and Colonel Sheppard headed down the hallway after the gurney carrying Teyla.

'_How do I control this? I need to be in control of his wheelchair. I know he doesn't like people to push him.'_ Corporal Blair asked, "Colonel, you look tired, would you like me to push your wheelchair back to the city?"

John thought that having anyone push his wheelchair made him look weak but right now he could use the help. He was more than tired, he felt drained. The pain in his side had not let up, nor had the sweating. "Thank you, Corporal Blair. I'll take you up on that offer." Colonel Sheppard took his hands off the wheels and rested them in his lap. Corporal Blair moved behind the wheelchair and began pushing.

'_This is easier than I thought. He looks bad. Almost as bad as when he saw the bug on his desk._' The Corporal just laughed to himself.

The Corporal was walking slowly, humming as he went along. The gurney with Teyla was already out of sight. Glancing over his shoulder, the rest of the team, doctors and nurses, hadn't started back yet. Leaning to the left to peer around to see the Colonel's face, he found the Colonel's eyes closed.

Corporal Blair continued to walk and hum, slowly turning the wheelchair down one of the passing hallways. He kept on walking until he reached the end of the corridor, where he entered the last doorway on his right.

Once inside he stopped and took a quick look around. He could tie the Colonel to the console, but first he needed to disarm him and take his comm away. Corporal Blair leaned down onto one knee and began taking off the Colonel's holster and side arm. The Colonel looked at him with bleary eyes and puzzlement. "It's okay Colonel, the Doctors can't look at your leg with your side arm and knife in the way, now can they?"

The Colonel processed that information, found it sound and nodded for Cpl. Blair to continue. After removing the Colonel's side arm and knife, he reached up and removed the comm from the Colonel's ear. Putting the Colonel's right arm over his shoulder, Cpl. Blair reached behind and lifted the Colonel around his waist out of his wheelchair. The Colonel's eyes opened. As he was lifted a gut wrenching groan escaped. "You'll be okay soon Colonel. I'm just going to lay you down now."

Corporal Blair laid the Colonel on the cold floor near the console. Colonel Sheppard was really out of it. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open half way, he was so bone tired. His head lolled to the side and he watched as Cpl. Blair dug into his pack. The Corporal had pulled out some rope and was heading back towards him. John began to panic. Since when did the Doctor use rope.

Corporal Blair took a strong hold of the Colonel's right wrist and began to tie the rope. The Colonel struggled, but in his weakened condition, he couldn't pull away. "Why are you doing this?" Asked the Colonel, his words were a bit slurred.

Corporal Blair took a moment, debating whether or not to answer. "You passed me over for promotion."

"I thought…we worked that out. When you came to… my office." The Colonel stated, having a hard time keeping his train of thought.

"You worked it out. You didn't ask me what I thought! I just had to stand there and listen to you." Corporal Blair said with a touch of anger.

"You're right. I didn't ask you, so why don't you tell me now. I'll listen." Sheppard could hardly keep his eyes open, but he would give the Corporal his say.

"You bet you'll listen. You're a captive audience." Blair glared at the Colonel and he finished tightening the rope around his right wrist. "I needed that promotion. Needed the extra pay."

"If it's money you need, maybe I can help." The Colonel offered.

"No! You don't understand." Shouted Cpl. Blair, taking the other end of the rope he looped it around the base of the console, jerking the Colonel's right arm above his head.

The movement was unexpected. The Colonel groaned as the motion pulled on his already sore abdomen.

John tried again; this kid was messed up. "Corporal…Michael, please tell me what's going on. Maybe I can help somehow." Another groan and the Colonel wanted to curl up into a ball.

The Corporal just stared at the Colonel. "What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing. Now tell me what's going on here. Why do this? Together we can figure it out. I promise." The Colonel was now panting.

"Back home, I sort of…got into some trouble with Big Ray. I couldn't pay him what I owed, so when I was offered this post, I jumped at it. Didn't think he could collect if I wasn't in the same Galaxy." Corporal Blair paused. "I've been getting e-mails. Seems Big Ray has connections in the Military. Someone on the Daedalus is here to collect."

The Corporal was beside himself. He was scared. He didn't know which way to turn, who to trust, how to get out of this mess or what to do next. He wanted it all to stop. Blair was having a change of heart, he really didn't want to hurt the Colonel now. The Colonel had been nice to him, praised him for a job well done. Let him push his wheelchair even when he knew the Colonel didn't like it that much. It was all too confusing. But he had gone too far, he had abducted the Colonel and had tied him up. The Colonel was the only one who knew it was him. He could just tell Corporal Mitchell and the others that he dropped the Colonel off at the infirmary and didn't know where he went from there.

Moving his left hand to guard his side, the Colonel moaned. "Michael…please let me help you. I can find out…who came to hurt you. But you have to take me to the infirmary first….please?" Oh God did his side hurt.

Picking up the Colonel's knife, "You were supposed to die. I have no choice…." Corporal Blair said.


	6. In The Infirmary

Chapter 6 – In the Infirmary

"Alright, you and you, sit here. You two sit there. You come with me. The rest of ya, two to a bed and someone will be with you in a minute." Carson barked out orders just like a general and the Marines followed those orders to the letter.

Beckett had three of his nurses check the Marines that dug through the debris, cleaning and disinfecting any cuts. He had Lorne and Ronon sitting on an exam bed waiting, Rodney on another bed waiting. Before tending to them, he wanted to make sure Teyla and the Colonel had been taken care of.

Teyla was just coming out of x-ray. She had woken up while in x-ray but her eyes were glossed over. "How are ya doing lass?" Carson peered over her and smiled.

"I will be fine." Teyla softly answered.

"Right as rain you'll be. No doubt." Carson patted her on the shoulder and nodded to the nurse to get her settled in one of the infirmary beds.

Carson looked around and didn't see the Colonel anywhere. He walked back out to where all the Marines, Lorne, Ronon and Rodney were and asked, "where's Colonel Sheppard?"

His staff gave him shrugged shoulders, a few 'I don't knows' and 'haven't seen him' answers. "What about Corporal Blair?" He asked, and got the same results.

At hearing their responses, Carson began to panic, but Rodney was a step ahead in that department. He jumped off the exam bed and headed for the door.

"Whoa! Where is it you think you're going mister, get back on that exam bed." Carson shouted and pointed to the bed Rodney had just vacated. "I'm not done with you yet."

"I'm going to the control room. If Sheppard isn't here, then he's still on the west pier." Rodney shouted back and headed out the door. "I hope."

Lorne and Ronon jumped off their bed and were only four steps behind McKay as they raced down the hallway towards the control room. Lorne was having a hard time keeping up with Ronon, as he was slightly limping. Carson threw up his hands in disgust, grabbed his medical bad and headed after the bunch.

Rodney reached the control room and pushed the technician out of his way. Dr. Weir came out of her office in response to the tussle, wanting an explanation and receiving none. Feverously typing in commands, Rodney got a display of the west pier to show on the large glass monitor behind his head. Entering a few more commands, two dots appeared.

"That's got to be him and Blair." Rodney stated.

The four men ran out of the control room, Lorne yelling over his shoulder to Dr. Weir promising to explain everything later.

Ronon took the lead and Lorne did his best to keep pace with him step for step. The runner had long legs and a slight advantage over Lorne, but Lorne didn't let that stop him from keeping up. Rodney and Carson followed several paces behind, jogging, rather than an all out run. Carson tapped his comm and requested medical assistance and gurneys, never losing stride with Rodney.

Ronon rounded the corner and sprinted down the long hallway to the last door on the right, leaving Lorne in his wake. He reached for his blaster and set it to stun. Lorne gave him the command to hold up until he could assess the area. He really didn't want to go in guns blazing. Who knew what the Corporal would do if confronted like that.

Lorne palmed the door and it slid open. Lorne stood out of sight to the right while Ronon stood out of sight on the left. The two men peered around the door opening, shocked looks reflected on both their faces.

Rodney and Carson came up behind Lorne and stopped, backs to the wall, not knowing whether it was safe to enter or not. Nobody was moving. Rodney took the chance and looked around Lorne's shoulder into the room. Rodney's mouth dropped open. Carson looked at the three men staring wide eyed into the room and moved to take his own look.

On the floor sat the Colonel cradling, and rocking back and forth, the young Corporal Blair. Corporal Blair had his head buried in the Colonel's neck and appeared to be crying, his right hand fisted around the Colonel's vest.

The rope was still tied to the Colonel's right wrist as he stroked Corporal Blair's back in an up and down motion. The Colonel noted the door opening, and when the two faces appeared around the door frame, the Colonel gestured for them to enter slowly and quietly.

After several long minutes, the four men at the doorway came to their senses and entered the room. As they approached they could hear the Colonel tell the Corporal that everything would be alright he would make sure of it.

Carson bent down to have a closer look at the pair. Other than the cut on the Colonel's leg from before, there were no new injuries he could see. A noise behind him took his attention away for a moment. The gurneys he requested had just showed up.

John began talking to the Corporal. "Michael…Dr. Beckett is here and I need you to go with him, okay?"

The Corporal shook his head, not raising it up nor loosening his grip. "Michael…it's going to be okay…I promise…Dr. Beckett just needs to make sure you're okay…I'll be coming with you. Do you think you can let go and let Dr. Beckett help you?" The Colonel spoke in soft reassuring tones and finally the Corporal let go.

Carson put his strong hands on the Corporal's shoulders, aiding him up from the floor. Then he helped the young man lie down on a gurney. Opening his bag, Carson took out a sedative and injected it into the Corporals arm. Carson told his people to take him to the infirmary.

Before they left the room the Colonel wheezed out, "don't hurt him…he's been through enough."

Carson nodded and then turned his attention back to the Colonel. Just as he was walking back to the Colonel, the Colonel let out a groan and started to lean backwards. Carson got there just in time to ease the Colonel down to the floor.

"Where are you hurtin' Colonel?" Carson asked as he looked over the ailing officer. The Colonel's face was pale, eyes unfocused, fever, sweating, body going limp, he was a fine mess.

"Left side." John managed to say.

Carson unzipped the Colonel's vest and pulled up his black t-shirt to have a look. The skin was white with no signs of bruising, Carson gently probed his ribs. No damage found there. Then he probed his abdomen and felt the distension. At the same time the Colonel screamed loud in white-hot pain. Eyes clinched shut he was panting hard, trying to get through the agony, trying to curl up in a ball.

Everyone in the room was startled by the sudden blood curdling cry coming from the Colonel. The man was known for his high tolerance for pain, and yet here he was in pure agony.

Trying to catch his breath, he panted, "don't….do th…that…again." The Colonel's eyes pleaded with Carson not to touch him again, begged him to leave him alone.

"I'm sorry Colonel, I won't do that again." Carson paused to let his apology sink in. "It looks like you have internal bleeding. We need to get you on a gurney and into the infirmary. I can't give you anything for the pain, I'm sorry."

John nodded his understanding. He did his best not to cry out when they lifted him from the floor.

OoO

The gurney with the Colonel barged through the infirmary doors. The nursing staff set to prepare their patient for surgery. Carson had radioed his staff on his way back to prep the operating room and pull five units of the Colonel's blood type. He told Lorne, Ronon and Rodney to take a seat on the exam beds and one of his staff would take care of their wounds.

Carson moved over to where his nurses were prepping the Colonel, reviewing the latest set of vitals. "Carson…" John started saying. "…don't cut uniform…don't have…any more." The man was in agony and his concern was for his uniform. Go figure.

Carson looked back at him with a blank stare. Then he realized why the Colonel had said that. "Cannot guarantee that Colonel, sorry." Carson patted the Colonel's shoulder.

Carson left to go scrub up; Dr. Biro would assist.

OoO

Out in the exam area Colonel Lorne radioed Dr. Weir to explain what had gone on while he waited to be treated.

Rodney was putting up a fuss with the nurse who was trying to look at his arm. Rodney would only let Carson care for him, but he knew that Carson would be a while. Sheppard had looked real bad. Rodney insisted the nurse call Dr. Epson. Since he couldn't have Carson fix his arm, he would let Dr. Epson.

Carl and Dr. Weir arrived in the infirmary at the same time. Dr. Weir went to Lorne to get a full report, while Carl went over to Rodney and took care of his arm. Rodney's gash required stitches, but only seven.

When Carl finished with Rodney, he checked Ronon over and gave him a good bill of health. How the Satedan managed to stave off harm was anyone's guess. Then Carl moved over to Lorne who had just finished up his verbal report. Elizabeth excused herself and went to check on Rodney and Teyla, while Carl took care of the leg wound on Lorne. Fourteen stitches later the wound was closed up.

Elizabeth sat in a chair next to Teyla's bed. Ronon sat on the other side, his legs stretched out in front of him. Lorne and McKay took up residence on the next bed over while Carl pulled out a stool and joined them.

Carl told the team it was his fault this had happened. When the Colonel fell two days ago he knew he should have insisted on an infirmary visit. But there was no evidence anything was wrong. They all agreed it was not his fault and agreed to share in the blame. Each one of them could think of at least one time when they noticed the Colonel not at his best, so if blame was to be placed, it would have to rest on all of them.

The five of them sat around Teyla's bed, waiting on news about their Colonel. Four hours later a haggard and tired looking Dr. Beckett approached the motley crew. The first thing he did was check Teyla's chart and ask how she was doing.

When he was done, he took up a position at the end of her bed, all six pair of eyes looking in his direction. "The Colonel had internal bleeding, it took me a while to repair the damage, but the Colonel should be just fine. We gave him six units of blood. I had five standing by, but he needed more. I put nine stitches in the cut on his leg. He's in post-op now and we'll be bringing him out shortly. He's going to be sleeping for quite a while, he lost a lot blood. From the amount of blood loss, I just can't imagine how he injured himself, there was no bruising like you would normally see."

Carl spoke up right then to offer one possible explanation. "Two days ago, when the strap on the Colonel's lift broke, he fell into his wheelchair before landing on the floor. I think maybe the brake handle punctured him on the way down. I did an exam afterwards, and the following morning and everything appeared fine. No tenderness, no bruising. I think the Colonel had internal bleeding for the past two days, most likely a slow bleeder. Then during the mission something must have aggravated it full blown."

"Aye, that would explain the lack of bruising and blood loss." Carson said as his hand rubbed the back of his neck. "How are the rest of ya? You all get taken care of?"

"I put seven stitches in Dr. McKay's arm, fourteen stitches in Colonel Lorne's leg, and gave them both a dose of antibiotics. Ronon escaped injury, and there are no other apparent concussions." Carl spoke up and rattled off his findings to his CMO.

OoO

As promised, the Colonel was wheeled from post-op to his usual bed, which he hadn't seen in quite some time. The doctors and nurses got him settled, as best they could. There was an IV and a unit of blood hanging on the left side of the bed. A catheter bag was hooked to the lower bed frame, a nasal cannula sat under his nose and the heart monitor beeped to a steady rhythm.

The Colonel's complexion was on the paler side of pink; his breathing was sure and steady; his dark head of hair stood out amongst the white of the bedding. All his friends could do now was let him rest.

The team adjusted their positions so they could keep watch over their two friends. Dr. Weir went back to her office. Rodney left long enough to snatch his laptop from his lab; he would get some work done while he sat vigil with his team mates. Although Carson threatened them all with big needles to get some food and rest, none of them would leave the Colonel or Teyla. Carson finally gave up and had his nurse get the team some food, then went to his office. He needed some rest after four long hours of surgery.

OoO

Lorne got up from the stiff infirmary chair he had been sitting in to stretch his legs. He had been sitting for hours watching over his CO. McKay was busy typing away on some theory, Ronon had his feet propped on the bed rung, chin down, eyes closed, but he was not sleeping. Dr. Epson fiddled with the Colonel's IV, took vitals and did everything the nurses usually did. Teyla kept watch from her bed when she could.

Colonel Lorne wondered over to where Corporal Blair rested; the last bed in a row of four on the opposite wall from where the Colonel and Teyla rested. He poked his head around the curtained off bed and found Corporal Blair awake. He gave the Corporal a smile and continued around the curtain. "Corporal." Lorne said quietly.

As Lorne got closer, the Corporal got nervous and started to scramble out of bed. He backed himself into the corner with shear terror on his face. Lorne held up his hands, palms forward, showing he was unarmed; he kept a smile on his face and softly spoke. "Corporal, I'm not here to hurt you. I came to see how you are. The Colonel was worried about you and so am I."

"The Colonel's a nice man." Whispered Corporal Blair, lowering himself to the floor. Feeling guilty at all the bad things he had done to him over the past few days. Even more guilty since the Colonel had been so nice to him.

"He's a very nice man. One of the nicest I've had the pleasure to know and work for." Lorne said as he inched himself a little closer. "He was really worried about you. All the way back, he kept asking about you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. He told the Doc to take good care of you." Lorne moved a little closer, lowering himself to the floor as well. He didn't want to appear intimidating, and the Corporal was scared enough. "It's kinda cold down here."

The scrubs were thin and if Colonel Lorne was cold, wearing his uniform, then he must be right. The Corporal took notice and nodded in agreement. "I really messed up Sir."

"Yeah, you did. But the way I see it, the Colonel holds no grudge, and for whatever your reasons, he'll help you fix it…I'm sure of it." Lorne said.

"That's what he told me too, Sir. He said he'd help me." Blair paused a moment. "Why would he do that…I mean…after all I did."

"That's the kind of man he is." Lorne thought for a minute, considering if he should press the Corporal for more intel or back off. He decided to press. "Taking a side trip down the west pier is not a bad thing."

Corporal Blair looked up a little confused. He started to tell the Colonel what he had done. "It's not just that Sir. I trashed his room and planted a virus in his computer. I wished I'd never done any of it, I also put that bug on his desk…and…and…he was supposed to die in the…explosion in the west pier lab." Blair's voice trailed off to an almost whisper when he stated that last part.

"Why did you do all that?" Lorne wondered what he meant by he was 'supposed to die'.

"I was upset, angry about not making Sergeant, I really needed the pay. I know the Colonel was right in passing me over, but…" Blair couldn't bring himself to say any more, he was too ashamed at what he had done.

"Corporal, do you think you could tell me why." Asked Lorne.

Blair considered the request, Colonel Sheppard would be in the infirmary and not able to help him right away. He had to consider what he was going to do or where he could go that would keep him safe once he left the infirmary himself.

"Yes Sir, I can tell you." Blair began his explanation, the same one he gave Colonel Sheppard on the west pier. "… did those things. I don't know what to do now Sir. I'm scared."

"It's late…don't you think you should get back into bed?" Lorne had heard enough. "I know the Colonel will want to talk to you when he wakes up in the morning." Lorne looked over to his left and watched the Corporal closely. He would figure a way to help.

"Yeah, I guess." Corporal Blair said looking up at Colonel Lorne. "Sir, will you help me?"

Evan wasn't sure if the Corporal meant to help him up or to help him out of his trouble. Either way, it was his duty to safeguard the Marines, just like it was Colonel Sheppard's duty. "Of course Corporal, that's why I'm here." Lorne extended his hand and helped the Corporal up and back into bed.

Corporal Blair fell asleep before Lorne even left his bedside.

OoO

Lorne walked back to his chair between Teyla and the Colonel's bed. He slowly sat down trying not to disturb his fellow team mates and friend.

"You're pretty congenial…for a grunt." McKay said not even looking up from his laptop, fingers still pounding the keys.

"McKay…I don't know what you're talking about." Settling onto the hard chair, Lorne just grinned.

"I have an idea, but it's going to take all of us to pull it off." McKay stated.

Lorne looked in his direction and raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Do tell."


	7. The Trap

Chapter 7 – The Trap

As Dr. Beckett predicted, the Colonel slept all evening, all throughout the night and halfway through the morning. Dr. Weir came in around 06:45 on her way to her office to check on him. Carl and his team mates updated her on his condition, which wasn't saying much, all John had been doing was sleeping.

By mid-morning, the Colonel started to move. His head moved slowly from side to side. Under his eyelids you could see his eyes fluttering back and forth. He was fighting for consciousness. By the time he pried his eyes open a quiet moan escaped his dry mouth.

Carl was right there with an ice chip slipping it past his lips. The icy coolness slowly made its way down his throat. John savored the feeling and wanted more. He opened his mouth hoping to convey his request. Carl understood and slid another ice chip between his parted lips.

Now that his throat had relief, he thought he had better try his voice out. "Hey." He managed to say. Not quite as strong as he wanted, but he at least knew his voice worked.

Carl was looking down at him with misgivings.

"Not your fault." John tried to say with a little more authority. John tried to lift his head up. He wanted to see who else was there knowing pretty much his team would have been there for him. Carl saw the struggle and raised the head of the bed just a little. He saw Rodney, Ronon, Evan and when he turned his head to the right saw Teyla smiling at him.

"You're going to be okay Colonel. Do you remember what happened?" Carl asked.

The events of yesterday came flooding back. "Michael!" He shouted. "Where's Michael! …is he all right?" Looking at his friends faces for answers. He tried to get up, but Carl's strong hands held his shoulders down.

"Corporal Blair is fine Colonel, he's just over…." Carl started to explain when Corporal Blair came up behind him.

"I'm right here Colonel." Blair stated.

Relief flashed across Sheppard's face at seeing the young Corporal. "Michael, are you okay? Are the doctors taking good care of you?"

"I'm fine Colonel." The Corporal gave him a weak smile. It was nice that he called him by his first name. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and talking. I owe you an apology. I'm sorry Colonel for what I put you and the others through." Corporal Blair bowed his head in shame.

The Colonel wanted to respond but the spark of adrenaline he experienced when he woke was now gone and so was his strength to stay awake. The Colonel's eyes closed and he fell back into a deep sleep.

OoO

The next time he woke, he managed to stay awake a little longer. Rodney was there typing away as usual. He asked about Corporal Blair; needing to know he was safe.

"Everything will be fine Colonel, once Ronon shoots him." McKay deadpanned.

Colonel Sheppard tried to get out of bed, he had to protect Corporal Blair, and he made a promise to the kid. "Ronon…can't." Colonel Sheppard struggled with the covers before strong hands were on him.

"Easy Colonel, come on, just lie back." McKay said while the Colonel struggled to get free of his hold. "Not for real…it's all part of my plan."

The Colonel sighed in relief and relaxed. "Don't scare me like that Rodney." The Colonel let his head fall back into the pillows, Rodney started to explain his brilliant plan. About half way through, the Colonel nodded off.

OoO

If you wanted to get word out to everyone fast you used the Atlantis grape-vine; it worked wonders for any type of news. Better than the city-wide PA system. The word spread that Corporal Blair was shot and killed by Ronon while trying to kill the Colonel on the west pier. Several crew members from the Daedalus were in the lunchroom when word spread, hopefully, the news would spread to right person. Many of the Atlantis Marines were mad and if Corporal Blair hadn't been dead already, he most certainly would have been by days end.

It was late evening and Carl's turn to sit with the Colonel. After he woke the first time, the team took shifts to be there for him.

Rodney was working on setting up surveillance in the morgue, hiding cameras and microphones. Ronon kept watch in the hall, alerting McKay of any possible problems.

Teyla, now that she had been released from the infirmary, set to work on the wound. She brought with her many small pots and brushes and painted what would pass for a blaster wound on Corporal Blair's chest. With a wound like that there would be no reason for Dr. Biro to do an autopsy.

The Corporal lay down on the last table in a row of four and Teyla started her task of creating a believable blaster discharge on the Corporal's chest, a mortal death type wound. Colonel Lorne would pop in and give his two cents worth of painting opinion, then leave, only to pop back in a few minutes later to give Teyla more advice. Lorne's mother was a painter and he picked up the craft from her. It had been a long time since he put brush to canvas.

"Oh, that is just disgusting! So real. Teyla…um…good work." McKay sheepishly offered, and when he offered a compliment, no matter how small, you took it; they were few and far between. "I got all the cameras and microphone's wired. They all run to the next room over, I thought we could set up there. It's a heck of a lot warmer then in here." McKay shuddered.

"How long do you think we will have to wait?" Asked Corporal Blair.

"The Daedalus is not operational yet which means most of the crew is still in the city. But I would bet my stash of chocolate bars that who ever was sent to collect will want to know as soon as possible. I know I would." McKay said. "Where's Lorne…shouldn't he be here by now."

As if on queue, Colonel Lorne came into the morgue. "Everything set up?"

"Yes, yes, yes. We're ready to do this." Rodney snapped.

"What about you Corporal…you ready?" Lorne asked.

"Yes Sir. And thank you, all of you." Corporal Blair said looking at each one of them in turn.

Lorne walked to the door and motioned for Ronon to enter. Teyla had packed up her paint pots and brushes, and she and Rodney moved to the next room. "Okay Corporal, this is it. Lay back down. Ronon's going to stun you. It should last about an hour or so. When the stun starts to wear off you'll feel pins and needles so try not to move. Hopefully, before that happens, you will have had your visitor." Lorne explained. "McKay, how's the reception in there?"

"Coming in five-by-five Colonel." McKay retorted.

Corporal Blair lay down on the cold table. Lorne draped the crisp white sheet over him and before he covered his chest and head, Ronon shot him. The two men exited the morgue and slipped into the next room to watch and listen through the speakers and monitors McKay had set up. Lorne looked at his watch and noted the time. It was going to be a long night.

Lorne looked at his watch a third time. Only a minute had passed since the last time he checked. McKay was glued to the view screen he had set up which showed three different angles of the morgue room. Teyla sat still and quiet, while Ronon paced behind the trio, his right hand gripping and releasing the top of his blaster.

Twenty-eight minutes passed before the door to the morgue opened. In walked two Marines wearing Atlantis uniforms. Colonel Lorne watched the view screen and listened to the two men. The two Marine's walked past the first table checking the toe tag. Next they walked to the next table reading off the name from the tag and shaking his head in a negative response. The Marine on the right walked up to the next and finally to the last one in the row where Corporal Blair lay stunned under a white sheet. After reading the toe tag he reached for the sheet and pulled it back. The second Marine inched closer to take a look.

"Eeww. That had to hurt." The Marine standing to the left said.

"Ronon sure did a number on the kid." Exclaimed the first Marine. "Wish I could have been there to help." The Marine replaced the sheet over the body and the two backed away and headed for the door.

When the door opened, the Marines stopped cold. Colonel Lorne was standing in the hall, arms crossed and a sneer replaced his normal grin. Ronon stood behind him, one hand on his blaster, the other by his side. "This way gentleman." Lorne pointed to his left, Ronon lead the way and opened the door to the security room they had set up. The two Marines followed without question.

When the two Marines entered the room, they were surprised to see McKay, Teyla and the monitoring equipment. They knew right away what they said in the other room had been overheard and they were so dead. After everyone was in and the door closed, Colonel Lorne began interrogating the two unfortunate Marines. Ronon blocked the door with his body; McKay kept watch over the screen.

Within seconds Rodney started snapping his fingers to get everyone's attention as two more Marines entered the morgue dressed in Atlantis uniforms. Rodney watched the screen as they too checked toe tags as they walked closer to the gurney where Blair laid.

The blond Marine lifted the sheet away slowly. "Oh man…look at this…would ya."

His partner, dark haired and about two inches taller looked over the blond Marines shoulder. "Got him good, I'd say…"

The blond Marine put the sheet back in place and the pair headed for the door. When the door opened, Ronon and Colonel Lorne stood in the hallway. "Gentleman…" Lorne pointed to his left and escorted the two Marines to the monitoring room. Colonel Lorne began his interrogation a second time. He couldn't fault them for their loyalty to Colonel Sheppard, but he couldn't condone their actions right now. The tiny room was getting packed, four Marines, and Lorne's team didn't allow for much movement.

"What is this…happy hour?" Rodney ranted as another pair of Marines entered the room wearing Atlantis uniforms.

Colonel Lorne was disgusted. He put his hand over the door crystals to step out into the hall. He was going to put an end to this before they started. He didn't want to hear anymore snide comments.

"Wait!" Shouted Rodney, and Lorne turned back to view the monitor. It appeared to be two more Atlantis Marines checking on the deceased Corporal Blair, but what he heard from the listening devices that Rodney planted told him otherwise.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" The first guy asked. He was shorter, yet had broad shoulders.

"Yeah…I asked around and this is where they said he was. He's got to be in here. Check those toe tags." The second Marine was tall and slender with dark colored hair.

The pair checked the toe tags and slowly made their way to the last table. "Got him." Said the shorter Marine. He moved to the other end of the table and lifted the sheet away.

"Yeah…that's him…Big Ray gave a good description, except for the hole in his chest that is." The slender Marine started to snicker. "You got the camera?"

"Here…hold this and I'll snap the shot." The shorter Marine traded places with his partner and took out a small digital camera from his uniform pocket. He snapped off a couple shots for good measure.

When they were done, the slender Marine replaced the sheet and the two-some headed for the door. They didn't even get one foot out of the morgue when they were grabbed by strong burly hands and dragged out into the hallway.

The four Marines Lorne had caught gawking at the young Corporal earlier now held between them the two Atlantean dressed Marine imposters. "Gentleman…escort our two friends here to the brig. Then report to my office for further instructions." Lorne commanded.

The Atlantis Marine, embarrassed to ask, "Sir, you have an office?"

"Yes, Sergeant, I have an office. It's across the hall from the Orientation Room. You have your orders. Dismissed!"

The Marines turned down the hall towards the brig, three abreast; their prisoners secured in the middle. Lorne, Ronon, Rodney and Teyla checked on Corporal Blair. Looking at his watch, it had been sixty-seven minutes since the young Corporal was stunned. He should be coming around.

Teyla and Lorne reached the table and pulled back the sheet. Teyla laid her hand on his cheek and whispered his name to rouse him. Corporal Blair slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the sting of the stun. He was still under the effects of the stunner and couldn't move the rest of his body. Teyla spoke softly and informed him that it was over. The men who had come to harm him were now safely locked away in the brig. He tried to smile or nod but movement was not to be. Teyla kept a reassuring hand on his shoulder and a smile on her lips.

Another ten or so minutes passed and the pins and needles feeling Colonel Lorne had mentioned made itself known. This was the first time he had ever been stunned and didn't care much for it. "It's over?" He asked.

"Yes Corporal, it's over. In a few more minutes you should be able to walk. Then we'll get you checked out by the Doc." Colonel Lorne informed him.

OoO

Aided by Lorne and Ronon, Corporal Blair managed to make his way to the infirmary mostly under his own power. Teyla and Rodney following close behind. While Corporal Blair was being checked out by the Doctor on duty, Lorne and his team headed for Colonel Sheppard's bed.

Walking around the drawn curtain that surrounded his bed they found Carl sleeping in the chair. The Colonel raised his finger to his lips and shushed them, not wanting to wake the tired Doctor. The four moved quietly to the left side of the bed finding it funny that the Colonel was actually awake and coherent.

The Colonel whispered, "how did everything go? Did we get our man?"

Lorne whispered back, "yes we got them. They're enjoying our comfort suite on Sub-Level B"

"Them?" Asked the Colonel.

"Yeah seems Big Ray sent two guys to take care of Corporal Blair." Explained Lorne.

Looking around, "where is Michael?" Sheppard asked.

"I got the Doc checking him out. It was the first time he had ever been stunned. Just want to make sure the kid is okay." Lorne injected.

Colonel Sheppard smiled; his Second in Command was a softy after all. While the exchange of information between the two Colonels took place, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon had pulled chairs over and taken up a protective circle around their Command Officer.

Before leaving the morgue with Corporal Blair and his team mates, Lorne had placed a notice on the last bed: _**Anyone wishing to see Corporal Blair may do so. Viewing will be held in the office across from the Orientation Room.**_ Lorne had tapped his comm and told the Sergeant and his three fellow team mates to detain anyone who came to the office.

"Guys…I'm okay…go to your own beds and get some decent sleep. You don't need to watch over me. I'm fine, really." As Sheppard finished his plea to his friends, Corporal Blair came around the curtain.

"I can stand guard." Corporal Blair said and his head lowered and eyes fell to the floor.

The four of them gave each other looks. "Okay…I'm good with that." Ronon jumped out of his chair and began to leave. Rodney and Teyla followed his example. Teyla stopped to wish the Colonel a peaceful nights rest.

Everyone was shocked at Ronon's response to leave the kid standing guard over their Commanding Officer and friend. It wasn't that long ago that the Corporal had detained and tried to kill the Colonel. Ronon, above all, was the most protective when it came to his team mates. He had wanted to hurt the kid in the beginning. After hearing Corporal Blair tell Lorne his reasons why, the Runner couldn't hold a grudge either. He had done some stupid stunts in his life, growing up on Sateda, which matched or outweighed what the Corporal had done. Nobody's perfect.

Rodney and Teyla had learned to trust the Satedan's instincts about people and feared not for the Colonel's safety. Corporal Blair would keep safe watch they were sure of it.

Colonel Lorne shrugged his shoulders, moved to the other side of the bed and tapped the sleeping Doctor on the shoulder. "Come on Doc…time for bed."

After Carl got his wits about him, he bid the Colonel good night and strode out the door with Colonel Lorne. The two men parted company at the transporter. Carl to his room and a tired Colonel to his office to deal with four Marines.

"Looks like just you and me Corporal." Colonel Sheppard said with a grin.

"Yes Sir." Blair smiled back, taking up residence in the chair the Doctor had vacated.

The two soldiers talked. Talked about the last couple of days, talked about Big Ray, and talked about what was to come. It wasn't long before the Colonel couldn't keep his eyes open or make a coherent sentence. He drifted off to a peaceful rest, knowing that Corporal Blair had his back.

Reaching his office door, Lorne took a deep breath, thinking about what he was going to say to those four Marines and would it get through their thick heads. What they had done tonight was unbecoming a Marine. It was inappropriate on so many levels. Maybe he should just take down the names and let Colonel Sheppard handle the talk. He was so much better at this sort of thing.

Lorne's new office, across from the Orientation Room was three times as large as Colonel Sheppard's. Lorne figured with his new promotion, he would be handling the Marines more, and a larger office and one closer to where the Marine's hung out would be ideal. So far he had only managed to find a small desk and chair. The mere size of the room dwarfed the desk and chair he had set up in one corner of the room.

Gaining his composure, he opened the door. "What the hell!"


	8. Humanity

Chapter 8 - Humanity

Carson started his shift at 07:00 and his first stop was to visit the Colonel and check on the stitches. He parted the curtains and found the Colonel sleeping soundly. He looked about expecting to see one or two of his team mates sprawled out in a chair or on the next bed. Instead Corporal Blair had taken up watch. He was sitting quietly and staring at the Colonel from his chair on the right side of the bed.

He stepped around the Corporal, nodding to his presence, to the head of the bed to check the IV line and monitor that told him what the Colonel's blood pressure and pulse were. The heart monitor had been taken away after the first day and so had the nasal cannula. Taking out his thermometer from his pocket, he snapped on a sanitary tip from the bedside drawer and gently placed the device into the Colonel's left ear. At the beep, he removed it and wrote down the temperature and other readings on the Colonel's chart.

"Lad, why don't you go get some rest. I'll watch over the Colonel, and besides, I have to change his bandages." Dr. Beckett presented.

Corporal Blair was unsure whether he should leave his post or not. He promised the Colonel's team he would take watch, and he probably should stay until one of them came to relieve him. He was going to tell the Doctor just that when a pair of hazel eyes looked at him.

"Do as the Doc says Corporal. You don't want to get on his bad side believe me. He has lots of big needles." The groggy Colonel said.

"Are you sure Sir? I can wait until someone comes to relieve me." Corporal Blair replied.

"Someone already has." Nodding towards Dr. Beckett.

"Yes Sir." Blair started to step through the curtains, but before he passed through, "can I check on you later Sir?"

Colonel Sheppard nodded in agreement. He still wasn't fully awake yet.

Corporal Blair left the Colonel in the good hands of Dr. Beckett.

"Sorry lad didn't mean to wake ya." Carson said as he was gathering his supplies from the bedside cabinet that he would need to clean and redress the stitches. "You look tired. Didn't you get any rest last night?"

"Some, the Corporal and I talked for a while. I think we are both going to be okay." Colonel Sheppard stated. "Ouch!"

"Easy lad. Just needing to take a peek at your stitches." Carson soothing the Colonel. "They look fine. Healing nicely. How do you feel?"

The Colonel thought for a moment before he answered Carson's question. "I'm a bit hungry. I want a shower and I'm tired as all hell. When is that going to stop Doc…being tired I mean."

"You lost quite a lot of blood. It's going to take your body some time to reproduce what you lost. The transfusions you had during surgery were just to give you a head start. You'll feel tired for a few more days I expect." Carson explained as he finished redressing the stitches on his left leg and abdomen. "Colleen is fetching you breakfast and you'll not be getting any shower too soon."

"Doc…" The Colonel started, but Carson gave him the _'I'm not taking any of your nonsense'_ look. He had seen that look before and knew better than to finish his whine.

Colleen came in with breakfast, which consisted of broth and a piece of toast. The pair adjusted the bed and fluffed his pillows so he could eat. It had been three days already and the first time he was allowed to sit upright. The movement pulled on his stitches a little and his left hand went to his side to guard the ache.

"After you eat, we'll get you out of bed to sit in a chair for a while." Beckett explained.

John was not looking forward to that. He understood the need to get the patient back on their feet, so to speak, so they didn't lose muscle memory. All he could hope for were good drugs.

By the time he finished eating, Carl showed up, he and Carson got him out of bed and sat him down in the visitor chair that was by the bed, tucking a blanket around his bare legs. His bed was stripped. Between Carl and Colleen, they had clean sheets in place in no time.

"How do people sit in these chairs so long? Dang it's uncomfortable." The Colonel quipped and squirmed after only fifteen minutes in the chair. He was used to his wheelchair, with its low back and no arm rests. This chair had a high back and wooden arm rests, he felt trapped.

How did his team manage to sit hours and hours in these chairs, watching over him after he got hurt on a mission. Carl and Colleen gave each other a look and snickered, but continued making up the bed.

After the bed was made, Carl and Carson put the Colonel back in bed. The Colonel was panting now from the exertion and the strain his body had put on his stitches. Dr. Beckett was ready for this and pulled out a syringe from his pocket and injected it into the IV port. Coolness seeped through his veins, John welcomed it; letting darkness take him to a restful sleep.

Throughout the morning his friends came to check on him, whether he knew it or not.

OoO

By lunch time John woke up from his drug induced sleep. His side didn't hurt so much now. The only lingering effects of the drug was the cotton feeling in his mouth. His eyes went to the water glass on the bedside cabinet. When Carl and Carson put him back to bed, they propped the Colonel on his right side. Behind his back was a stack of pillows and one or two in front to snuggle with. He wasn't sure if he could reach that far with his left hand to get the much needed water.

Not noticing that anyone else was near, a hand suddenly held out the water glass, with a straw in it, for him to drink from. When he quenched his thirst, he looked up to see Corporal Blair.

"Thanks. What time is it?" Asked Colonel Sheppard.

"It's 12:23 Sir. I can't stay long, I just came by to see if you needed anything. I have an appointment with Dr. Heightmeyer at 12:30 hours Sir." The Corporal explained.

During the night, when the two soldiers had talked, Colonel Sheppard explained that Blair would need to see Heightmeyer to resolve his anger and other issues before being allowed back on duty. The Colonel was glad to see that he wasn't wasting any time. Taking this first step told him the young Corporal really wanted to change his life for the better.

"That's great Corp…Michael. I know she will help you. Before you go, can you find Dr. Beckett for me?" Stated Colonel Sheppard.

"Sure thing Colonel." The Corporal dashed through the curtains to get Dr. Beckett. He didn't want to be late for his first appointment either.

Not only did Carson come through the curtains, but so did Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Carl and Evan, all carrying a tray of food, Ronon had two.

"I'm a bit hungry guys, but not _that_ hungry." The Colonel's eyes went wide. Remembering a time about a year ago, after his accident when his team mates each brought him a tray of food.

"If it is all right with you, we thought we would join you for lunch." Teyla stated.

"That's fine. I kind of miss you guys…you know with all this sleeping…" John replied.

After Carl and Carson sat their trays down, they removed the stack of pillows from behind the Colonel and between them they got him squared away. Carson raised the head of the bed so he could eat. Carl pushed a couple pillows behind his back to steady him.

Everyone found a seat, including Carson, and they all began to eat lunch, swap food, and filled John in on what he had missed in the past three days.

"Evan you look tired, you okay?" John asked out of concern. Evan had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in a long while.

"I'm good. Just had a long night. Had a few Marines to straighten out." Rodney choked on his food when he heard Lorne's feeble explanation.

"A _few_ Marines? Oh please…you had the whole contingent in your office. Let's be real here." Rodney snarked, still coughing from the food that had gone down the wrong way.

"Evan…care to explain." It wasn't a question, rather an order the way the Colonel inquired. John really wondered to himself why he would have the Marines in his office.

"Go ahead Lorne, tell him." Ronon added, holding back a snicker under his breath.

"You see Sir…some of the Marines had…I had to…well…don't be surprised that when you get back to your office…forget it, lets just say I took care of things." Evan stopped and went back to eating his now cold lunch.

He would find the appropriate time and appropriate words to tell his Commander what had taken place. He would tell him about the four Marines he had caught in the morgue. He would tell him about the thirty plus more that had shown up in his office the first time and the subsequent numbers that followed. Seems most of the men were curious about Corporal Blair. When he left that note on the morgue table, he honestly hadn't expected more Marines. He figured once the four had taken a look, the Atlantis grape-vine would fill in the others.

His office had been filled shoulder to shoulder with Marines. He had moved the first large group to the Orientation Room across the hall. He left two Sergeants in his office to detain any further on-lookers who might show up, while he gave the Marines a lesson in humanity.

Lorne had to explain why Corporal Blair acted the way he did while still maintaining the Corporal's privacy. Pressures and mistakes made on Earth had finally taken its toll on the young soldier. So many Marines brought to another Galaxy, far from home, are slapped in the middle of a war. Even the hardest, bravest Marine could crumble under these pressures.

No one knows what's in another persons mind. No one knows what drives a person to do the things they do. One can only hope that the training, discipline and fellowship of the service will mold their moral standards so that the men become outstanding individuals, and as the saying goes, 'to be kind and courteous to women and small animals.'

After the lecture, he told those Marines that if any of them ever had any problems they should seek him or Colonel Sheppard out. He promised they would listen and help in any way they could. Most important of all, conversations would be kept private. The lecture lasted about ninety minutes. Lorne dismissed the men and went back to his office, only to find it full again.

As he ordered the men to the Orientation Room, he began his lecture all over again. Three more times to be exact. The Marine contingent on Atlantis had a deep respect for Colonel Sheppard, it was unlike any other type of respect towards a superior officer he had ever been privileged to witness. Many of the Marines had been in the service for years, had several Commanders, but none that could compare to Colonel Sheppard and the way he treated them. It didn't even matter that he was Air Force. He acted like a Marine, was tough as a Marine, therefore, he was a Marine in their eyes.

The Colonel never asked them to do something he wasn't willing to do himself, including taking night watches, which most of the men hated. Even after his accident, the Colonel rotated himself in and took night watches. The Colonel always checked on them, making sure they had everything they needed, supplies, equipment, you name it. Going through back channels to get special need items that his men asked for, things that made their life a little less stressed. Looking the other way as long as it didn't cause a problem later on down the line. Colonel Sheppard took great care of his men, and the men took great care of Colonel Sheppard.

Eventually Lt. Col. Lorne would be able to explain all this to his Commanding Officer, but right now, he was just tired.

John looked at Evan with a straight face. "I'll take that as it is for now…I'm sure there is more to it. But you will tell me what went on, and it better be before I get to my office."

Evan nodded in understanding.

"Rodney who won the pool this time?" John asked. They were always betting on how many days between infirmary visits for the Colonel. "I bet no one thought I'd go this long. What has it been …seven, eight months?"

Rodney looked up at Sheppard and pondered whether or not to tell him. He quickly glanced at his fellow team mates and at Carl and Carson, lingering a little too long on the two Doctors. Rodney received a slight nod and proceeded to tell the Colonel who won. "It was Carl and Carson. They tied."

John looked surprised. For once he couldn't believe that the Doctors were betting on him to end up in the infirmary. It was their job to keep him out of the place. "How…why…Docs?" John sputtered, hardly believing the Docs bet against him. "Never mind."

Laughter, giggles and a few snickers erupted. John was holding his left side, it hurt to laugh, yet it felt so good. "Can we join you?" asked Elizabeth. She and Col. Caldwell had been informed that John was awake and was able to have a few visitors. The few times she'd stopped by he was usually sleeping and she didn't want to disturb him.

"Sorry Elizabeth, yes you can join us. Sir." John nodded with respect to his senior officer. "The Docs here won the pool."

Elizabeth looked over at the two Doctors and smiled. "I see." Carson and Carl grinning back.

"Colonel, you look much better. How are you doing?" Interrupted Col. Caldwell.

"Fine Sir. How are the repairs coming on the Daedalus?" John inquired. It had been five days since the ship crash landed on the east pier and the ship should be getting close to being space worthy again.

"Tomorrow we are taking her up for a test run. If all goes well, we should be able to leave the following day. And…I hear you have two of my crew locked in your brig." Caldwell stated.

"Yes Sir, you heard correctly. They were paid to rough up one of my Marines. Colonel Lorne and his team set up a trap and they were caught last night. I understand they took pictures, so with your help Sir, once you get back to Earth, I would like for those pictures to find their way to a certain 'Big Ray' fellow. I don't want him sending any more guys after my guy. I have my hands full without worrying about stuff like this."

"I'd like a full report." Caldwell said.

"Sir, Colonel Lorne will see that you have it before the Daedalus leaves." John informed. Almost as an after-thought, "and might I suggest that you have two jumpers on stand-by during your test flight. One on this end and one at the end of your hyper-space test. You can take McKay too." Offered Sheppard. If looks could kill, the one McKay just gave him would certainly mean death.

"We will leave Dr. McKay here. I'm only taking minimal crew, seven or eight. And I'll take you up on the jumpers." Caldwell had noticed the look on McKay's face. Although he had done a great job getting the ship working again, and could come in handy if things went wrong, there was no reason to risk his life for the test. Having two jumpers standing by would be sufficient enough.

"Lorne, get two jumper teams put together for tomorrow and work out the details with Col. Caldwell as to the locations where they will be coming out of hyper-space. Hopefully this will all be for nothing." Colonel Sheppard instructed.

"Yes Sir." Evan said quickly.

Dr. Weir and Col. Caldwell visited a few more minutes before Col. Caldwell went to check on his crew member who had broken his leg.

OoO

Between Hermiod, Radek, and Rodney, a planet on the edge of Atlantis' solar system with an orbital Stargate was chosen for the jump out point. If the test failed, the Daedalus would still be able to make it back to Atlantis on reserve oxygen tanks without having to jump into hyper-space, however it would be a seven hour flight. The jumper, with its crew, would also be able to land on the Daedalus and lend assistance if necessary.

Colonel Lorne made sure each jumper team had a welder and a medic, along with extra oxygen tanks and emergency supplies. Every possible scenario and outcome had been gone over at least a dozen times.

The Daedalus test flight was a success. The weld held. The Daedalus was space worthy again and just to be sure, they ran the flight several more times, jumping in and out of hyper-space between Atlantis and the planet. Atlantis control kept close watch on the deep space scanner in case any Wraith ships picked up the hyper-space activations and came to investigate.

The Daedalus and her crew would be leaving in the morning, along with the two guests they held in the Atlantis brig. The crew of the Daedalus were glad to be going home. Atlantis was a nice place to visit, but they preferred space to water. For the inhabitants of Atlantis they would be glad to see the Daedalus depart as well. It was like having family come to visit and over-stay their welcome.


	9. Epilogue

Chapter 9 – Epilogue

Colonel Sheppard was released from the infirmary four days after the Daedalus departed for Earth. However, Dr. Beckett insisted on bed rest for another three days. Carl was happy to comply with Dr. Beckett's orders. Colonel Sheppard on the other hand wanted to get back to work, he was sick and tired of being in bed.

It was two weeks of light duty, with mandatory two hour rest breaks like he had before and Carl made sure he rested. Eventually, the Doctor pronounced him well enough to return to work full time. Gradually the Colonel got back into his normal routine, running with Ronon, sparring with Teyla, coffee with Elizabeth, and sending teams out to meet and greet.

At first, his runs with Ronon were short, just two miles out and back, unlike the four and five mile runs they had been doing. Teyla eased up a little on his Katas lessons as well. She didn't want the Colonel to over-exert himself too quickly. Carl even eased up on the sit-ups, pull-ups and push-ups. John had been doing one hundred sit-ups, fifty push-up and pull-ups. Carl was letting him start out slow, doing only twenty-five sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups. All in all, his routine was coming back to him. There was one exception however.

Evan finally got around to telling him about his little lecture sessions with the Marines. Now it seemed at least once or twice a day he had a Marine in his office with personal problems. John wondered if he could get put on Dr. Heightmeyer's payroll considering all the counseling he was doing. There was a wide range of issues but most involved 'don't ask, don't tell'.

It was established at the beginning of the expedition that each Marine had to talk to Dr. Heightmeyer at least once every two months for an hour session, but they felt more comfortable talking to their CO's. What the Marines didn't know was that Colonel's Lorne or Sheppard would regularly confer with Heightmeyer if a situation arose that they knew they couldn't handle on their own. There were a few times that Colonel Sheppard hinted around and insisted that the Marine take his issue to Kate, even offering moral support during their visit if the Marine wanted him to be there with them.

Corporal Blair continued to work with Dr. Heightmeyer. When he was ready, Colonel Sheppard was going to assign him to an off-world team. Actually, Lt. Ruiz requested him. Although the Colonel wasn't sure if it had anything to do with Colonel Lorne's lecture or not. In any case, it would be a good fit for the young Corporal as well as for the team.

OoO

Today was a special day. It had been exactly three hundred sixty-five Earth days since Dr. Carl Epson, extraordinaire, set foot on Atlantis for the first time. Today, Colonel Sheppard was going to say thank you in a big way. Jumper One was loaded with the appropriate supplies and provisions. All he needed was his friend.

Ronon, Teyla, Evan and Rodney were all in the jumper bay. John was just completing his check list of supplies. "Okay Rodney, call Carl, we're ready to get this show on the road."

"McKay to Epson." Rodney said into his comm.

"_Epson here Dr. McKay, what can I do for you?" _

"Doc, you're needed in the jumper bay. Colonel 'I can do it, don't help me' Sheppard has done it again. It's nothing serious, but I think you should take a look anyway. You know how Sheppard can be." Rodney exaggerated a little.

"_On my way. Epson out."_

"Gee thanks Rodney, now the guy will never trust me." John grinned and stared at McKay.

"It's not my fault you hide your boo-boo's." McKay sassed back.

Six minutes later, Carl came walking into the jumper bay, his little doctor bag in hand. Dr. Beckett decided he should have one, especially since he was taking care of the Colonel and had helped with the Marines in the gym. "Colonel, what have you done this time?" Carl said in a condescending tone.

"See Rodney…see what you've done." The Colonel exclaimed waving his hand between the two men. Turning his attention back to Carl, "nothing Doc, honest. We…I just needed you down here. I have a surprise for you. Do you know what today is?"

"Yes, it's Thursday." Carl replied.

"No, I mean, do you know what the significance of today is?"

Carl shock his head no. He had no idea what was so special about this day. Nothing came to mind.

"It was exactly one year ago today that you came to Atlantis Doc. Happy Anniversary. And to show you my appreciation for everything you have done for me, we are taking a trip off-world. Don't bother with your gear, we've already packed everything you'll need." John explained, the grin on his face getting larger.

While John was explaining the importance of today, Ronon and Evan walked into the back of Jumper One and brought out a long box and held it out for Carl.

"Go ahead, open it." John instructed.

"Colonel, you already gave me a gift, the globe."

"That was for starters, but this…" He gestured for Carl to open the box again. "…this is your real gift, along with going off-world today." John watched as Carl finally opened the box.

Looking at the Colonel in shock, "how did you know? These are exactly like the one's I had on Earth."

John smiled, "Carl, these are yours. I contacted your family and asked that they send them. I even got three other sets. Now…lets get going…everybody in the jumper now." John rolled past his friends and into Jumper One's pilot seat. While the rest were getting settled, he performed his pre-flight check.

The hatch was half-way up when Dr. Beckett came running through the bay doors. "Wait…I'm coming with you." He yelled.

John lowered the hatch and Dr. Beckett climbed aboard. "Is that everyone?" John scowled, it wasn't like he was going to have any fun. Getting an affirmative from everyone on board, "Control, this is Jumper One, ready to depart."

"_You're clear to leave Jumper One. Have a good time."_ Chuck said.

"Rodney, dial the gate."

McKay entered the gate address and Jumper One lowered into the gate room. As the jumper rotated, he gave Elizabeth a wave through the front view screen. Once the jumper was facing the blue puddle, John eased the jumper through the gate.

OoO

Exiting the Stargate on the planet, John took a few minutes to look around the terrain, looking for a good spot to set the jumper down. The planet, P3S-925 as it was known in the Ancient data base, was a snow planet. There were several mountain ranges, all snow covered, varying in height. The lower valley was covered with a light powdering of snow and a few trees sprinkled throughout the landscape. The planet had one sun and two moons. The sun was warm and offered a welcoming embrace against the cold of the snow. He needed two locations actually, one on top of the mountain and one at the bottom with a clear view of the mountain side.

John found what he was looking for a nice level spot on top of a small hill. The clearing looked like it was made for the jumper. According to the HUD readings, the clearing was approximately seven thousand four hundred and eighty-nine feet above the valley. There were other slopes much higher than this one, but John thought of the beginners he brought along. He had no doubt that Carl could tackle a much longer run.

Setting the jumper down John turned to his friends, "Get suited up." At his command his friends started to pull out winter coats, hats, gloves, and boots that had been stowed in the overhead compartments. Ronon tossed John a jacket to put on.

Once everyone was suited in the appropriate attire, Teyla lowered the jumper's back hatch. The sun was bright and glared off the pristine white snow. John reached for his aviator shades. Everyone except for John filed out of the jumper. John remained at the top of the ramp while he watched Ronon, Evan and Teyla make a security sweep of the area. The three doctors stayed at the bottom of the ramp.

Ronon reported no tracks, animal or otherwise. Teyla and Evan agreed. After hearing that the area was safe, Carl started walking around, peering over the edge of the slope to the valley down below. Carl sized up the area and determined that it indeed would be satisfactory. There wasn't a lot of obstructions, like rocks and trees in the way, pretty much a clear, open, wide, snow covered slope.

"Carl is this location going to work?" John yelled from the back of Jumper One. Seeing as Carl was making his own survey of the land.

"Yes Colonel, this will be fine." Carl replied enthusiastically, still not believing this was really happening.

"Good, grab your gear and you can show us your moves." John said.

Carl climbed back up the ramp and grabbed his skis and poles. Once back out on the snow he put his skis on and showed his friends the correct stance, how to fall correctly to avoid injury, how to walk with skis on and a myriad of other information. Not only was Carl a good physician, but he was a good teacher as well.

There were three other sets of skis that John had purchased and had smuggled on board the Daedalus that he brought along. Teyla, Evan and Carson were the first to volunteer. Carl helped them prepare and get the their boots locked into place on the skis. Since Teyla had never skied before, Carl guided her around on the soft snow to get the feel of it.

"Rodney!" John shouted. As Rodney neared, "grab the goggles would ya." Rodney grabbed the box from the upper storage compartment that contained the goggles. He took them out and passed them around.

"You guys almost ready?" John asked. Receiving nods and yes sirs. "Okay then, I'll take the jumper down to the bottom; I'll comm you when we're set up. See you at the bottom."

John rolled back in and locked his wheelchair into the pilot's seat. Rodney and Ronon climbed in and raised the back ramp. John lifted Jumper One out of the clearing and settled it back down at the bottom of the hill. He lowered the back ramp so the three of them could watch their four friends sashay down the hill.

John tapped his comm to let his friends at the top of the hill know he was in place. "Doc…ready when you are."

Rodney turned up the heater in the back of the jumper for John, even though he had a coat on, it was still cold. He and Ronon stepped out and looked up the hill, waiting to see their friends. Rodney took out his digital camera hoping to catch some candid shots of his friends.

John couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like Carson and Evan started down the hill first. Quickly, John reached for his binoculars that were in his vest pocket. Holding them up to his eyes he could see Evan zigzagging down the slope at a good pace. Snow was flying up in the air as he changed directions. Carson was coming straight down doing his best to stay on his feet and not fall. A couple of times John was sure the Doctor was going to tumble. Looking back towards the top he saw Carl and Teyla starting their run down the slope. Teyla amazed him; she was all grace and beauty as she came sashaying down the hill. You would have thought she was an expert and not her first time. Carl stayed close and kept pace with her as they came down the slope together. The two of them were fantastic.

Evan reached the bottom first and skidded to a stop, throwing snow five feet into the air ahead of him. Carson came to a not so graceful stop panting as he lay in the snow. Evan took off his skis and walked over to the Doc to lend a helping hand. He took the Doc's skis off and reached out his hand to pull the man up, brushing off the snow once he stood up.

The five men turned their attention back to the slope as Teyla and Carl were making their final approach. Teyla skidded to a halt in much the same manor as Evan, snow spraying up ahead of her. Carl did the same.

"Teyla, you were fantastic!" John yelled.

"Thank you John, it was…exhilarating." She replied. Her smile told the whole story of just how much she had enjoyed herself.

Carl came walking up to the jumper, "Colonel, thank you, that was…indescribable."

"You're welcome Carl. Looks like you're a good teacher as well. Ready to do it again?"

"Yes Colonel, I would like that very much." Carl couldn't believe he was skiing, and on another world no less.

"Okay, load up and I'll take you back to the top." John rolled back into the pilot's seat. Once everyone was on board, he closed the ramp and took off. He landed in the same spot in the clearing as before.

Carson decided once was enough. He offered the skis to Ronon and Rodney. Rodney backed away. There was no way he was going to break his neck. Ronon took the skis and goggles. While Carl adjusted them for the runner's big feet, Carl gave Ronon pointers.

John took Jumper One back to the bottom and put her down in the same spot. "Rodney, open a wormhole back to Atlantis. I think we need a second jumper."

Rodney opened a wormhole back to Atlantis. John requested a second jumper and some camping chairs. Within fifteen minutes Jumper Four landed beside Jumper One at the base of the slope. Captain Polansky walked out the back of Jumper Four carrying a couple of camping chairs underneath each arm.

"Here you go Colonel, anything else you need?" Polansky asked.

"Thanks Captain, actually there is. How do you feel about playing shuttle pilot for a few hours?" Colonel Sheppard asked. "I need someone to shuttle these guys back to the top of the hill since there doesn't seem to be a ski lift on this planet."

Captain Polansky looked at his Commanding Officer like he was out of his mind. But this duty sure beat anything else back on Atlantis right now. "Sure, I'll be glad too."

Colonel Sheppard pointed to the ridge where Teyla and Evan were making their run. Sheppard explained there was a nice clearing up there for drop offs. As the men watched the skiers come down the slope, Rodney and Carson set up the chairs. Captain Polansky stepped in and helped set up the campfire and campfire stove. Besides the cold weather gear and skis, Colonel Sheppard brought along the makings of hot chocolate and s'mores.

"Here comes Ronon and Carl." Shouted McKay pointing to the top of the hill. Taking out his camera again hoping to take a few candid shots of the big man on skis.

The men stopped and watched the top of the hill. Ronon started down a bit shaky but soon found his rhythm. Carl stayed close just in case. The two men zigged and zagged like pros. Teyla and Evan had made it safely to the bottom and then turned to watch Ronon and Carl make their way down.

After Ronon was down, he took off his skis and walked over to the group setting up the campfire. "This is like Bak'ta on Sateda. Only you use one ski which is wider and no poles." Ronon told the group.

"That sounds like snowboarding. I'll have a couple snowboards brought back on the next Daedalus run." John told him.

Carson looked at him strangely. "And just how do you plan to get those snowboards past security?"

The Daedalus is a military ship, only military, food and personal care items were allowed as cargo, even though shipments of chocolate bars, DVD's, fishing poles and many other items arrived on every trip. It was a wonder that there was room for the actual supplies they needed on board.

"You just have to be creative, I'll have them packed and the shipping label will read 'white boards'. The Orientation Room could use a couple white boards. Why should all the scientists have them?" John was serious. It was the simplest solution. "How do you think you got your fishing pole and tackle?" The Colonel raised his eyebrow up and grinned.

Carson just shook his head. The rest just chuckled. "You guys up for another run? Captain Polansky will take you back up. By the time you come down, we should have hot chocolate and s'mores ready." John told them. He received several nods, the four grabbed their skis and poles and headed for Jumper Four.

After Jumper Four took off, John decided he wanted to sit by the fire instead of staying in the back of the jumper. "Guy's, I want to sit by the fire. A little help if you don't mind."

"Colonel, I don't think that is a good idea." Carson spoke up, he didn't want the Colonel to get sick and with no feeling in his legs, he wouldn't know if he was cold or not.

"Come on Carson…please. Just for a little while. I'll be fine." John countered, using that puppy-dog look he did so well when he wanted to get his way.

Carson tried to stare him down, but it was no use. He understood it wasn't fair to be the only one sitting in the jumper, while everyone else sat around the fire. "Okay. Rodney, can you give me a hand?"

John got himself to the bottom of the ramp, but the snow made it hard to move anywhere after that. It was no different than the sand on the beach when they went surfing. With Carson and Rodney's help the Colonel was soon sitting by the campfire. Carson returned to the jumper and brought out a blanket and wrapped it around the Colonel's legs. It was one of the conditions he had to agree to in order to sit by the fire. Rodney got the hot chocolate going and the makings of s'mores out. The two men took up seats facing the slope to watch the four skiers make another run.

Jumper Four landed and Captain Polansky joined the others by the fire waiting and watching.

By the time the four had made their way down the slope the hot chocolate was ready. Everyone gathered around the fire drinking hot chocolate. Rodney and Carson were in charge of making s'mores for everyone. It took some doing but the group managed to talk Captain Polansky into skiing down the hill. Rodney piloted Jumper Four and took the foursome to the top. Teyla stayed behind this time to watch.

The sun was finally behind the tallest mountain peak casting shadows on the ground. They had spent the last seven hours taking turns and skiing down the slope. And to everyone's disbelief there were no broken arms, legs or mishaps. The day had been perfect.

Everyone started to clean up and pack the gear back into the jumpers. The campfire had been put out; the skis and the chairs loaded. They left Carl and John to talk. "So Carl…Happy Anniversary." John plainly said.

Carl was pushing the wheelchair and John was trying to help as well. "Thank you again Colonel. It was wonderful, much like Switzerland, but nicer I think." Carl replied.

John grabbed his wheels and stopped his wheelchair dead. "Hey…you know what I just realized? I finally got to eat a chocolate bar."

The End.

8


End file.
